With the Wind at My Back
by undersaffiresky
Summary: Two years ago, Ash accidentally released the Beasts from their tomb, unknowing of he set in motion. Now, two years later, Ash will finally learn what it really means to be Chosen. AshxMisty. Updated, at last!
1. Chapter 1: Lazy Days

**A/N: **This is the Saffire Persian aka Persian Mistress (or Belle as you may call me). This is my first work of fanfiction, and flames are welcome as long as certain conditions are met. If you want to view an extended summary of _With the Wind at My Back_, please see my Bio also. A few things I must bring to your attention are that Ash is Sixteen years of age in this Fic, Misty is also 16, and Brock is **20 (Yes, that part has been changed.. he is no longer 18)**. As long as things go as planned, and Ash doesn't die on us –snickers- there will be an Ash/Misty pairing. Other pairings may be included upon suggestion (But I won't do Yaoi, or Yuri pairings, so don't ask.)

Please keep in mind that most of the movies, because of this Fic, no longer exist, or have been warped to fit the plot in some way. The only ones that without a doubt taken place is_ Mewtwo Strikes Back_, and some elements of_ Pokemon 2000, and Maybe Pokemon 3_. Granted, all of the new Pokemon will exist in this fic, (and perhaps some new ones) as well as characters that have featured in the show from time to time (Richie, Gary, etc).

Suggestions are welcome, and if you enjoyed this story, I recommend you check out "The Legend and the Prophocy" that used to be this story's prologue. However, I moved it to be a type of one shot. It eludes to the Legend and Prophocy this story does center one.. and it also tells of the event of Ash releasing the three beasts from Ecruteak.

But I've jabbered on enough. Please Read and enjoy this story.

Disclaimer: Hellooo. What would I be doing here if I owned Pokemon. Meh. I do own this story though. The plot, made up Pokemon – stuff like that.

**With the Wind at My Back**

_By: Saffire Persian _

Part 1: The Ties that Bind

"_Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. "– Lynda Berry_

Chapter 1: Lazy Days

"_Ah, happy years, once more who would not be a boy!" _-John Byrom

_(Takes place two years after the last event in 'The Legend and the Prophecy' If you don't want to read, Ash released the Three Legendary Beasts from their rocky tomb.)_

_-------_

It was a beautiful June day in the hospitable region of Hoenn. And in the mind of Ashton Ketchum, it was the perfect day to do one thing, train. The young Sixteen-year-old Pokemon Trainer was almost as tall as Brock, his slant-eyed traveling companion, and he now bore a slightly muscular tone from years of training with is Pokemon. His boyish, laid back features had not changed much however. His unruly black hair was as tussled as ever, and he still wore with pride his Pokemon League had he had owned since childhood.

"Pikaa pi!"

Ash laughed as a small mouse Pokemon with a lightning shaped tail jumped gracefully onto his shoulder, paws wet from an evident tramp in the stream that ran beside them. The small mouse Pokemon, Pikachu, had been his friend ever since he had started on his Pokemon journey nearly six years ago.

Behind him, Brock was looking contemplatively around the Serenity Forest, which was located not far off from Petalburg city. He didn't say a word, and Ash could only suspect what Brock, the once gym-leader of Pewter City Gym, was thinking about. And perhaps he was right in thinking it was about the countless girls they had run into in the past few weeks. Ash shook his head, thinking about girls – nonsense.

_Well,_ he thought, face flushing for a moment, _Maybe not total nonsense, just only when it comes to Brock._

A terrified scream broke through the silence of the Serenity Forest. Ash spun around, then seeing what the terror was really about, laughed. He turned to Misty, also sixteen, who was looking fixedly at a strange, blue Pokemon with eight spindly legs. Her face was pale, and a perfect picture of utmost terror. He grinned.

_That Surskit looks just as terrified of her and she is of it, _he thought, amused.

"Get – get – make it go away!"

Ash laughed again, and received a hearty glare from Misty as she hastily backed away towards a large tree, her small Togepi in her arms. She was taller, too, now. Her red hair was no longer tied in a casual pigtail; instead, it went down to the beginning of her shoulders. Ash smiled softly, and the Togepi is Misty's gave a happy trill, then tried to quite literally tumble out of Misty's arms. He was no doubt wishing to investigate the blue oddity was standing on the water, trembling with fear. And Ash couldn't blame it. Misty could be very scary when it came down to it.

The Surskit suddenly squeaked, and toppled headfirst into the water with a small plop. Pikachu immediately jumped off Ash's shoulder, now staring into the blue water, where the small form of the Surskit lay, nearly motionless, save for the occasional jitter.

"It's not going to hurt you, Mist," said Ash, trying with little success to keep from chuckling, as he kneeled down by the stream bank.

Misty, meanwhile, looked highly unconvinced.

_Some things will never change._

Ash could see the Surskit moving nervously from side to side in the water. He immediately took out his Pokedex, pointing the device at the spider-like Pokemon. Dexter, the Pokedex voice persona, spoke immediately afterward, and a picture of a Surskit flashed onto the screen.

"Piiikahhh!"

"_Surskit, a Bug/Water Pokemon. From the tips of its feet, Surskit secrets an oil that enables it to walk on water as if it were skating. This Pokemon feeds on microscopic organisms in ponds and lakes."_

Brock, pulling out _The Travelers guide to Hoenn and its Pokemon_, nodded his head, flipping throughthe books numerous pages. "Hmm... a Surskit. Those things are rare; it says you don't often find them in these parts of Hoenn. And don't worry, they're supposed to be quite docile, Misty."

"How do _you _know," she replied in a tone that suggested the Surskit was going to make a watery leap into her face at any moment. Much to her dismay, Togepi suddenly slipped out of her arms, rolling into a characteristic egg shape as he landed upon the ground. "Togepi, wait! _Please?_"

The egg Pokemon trilled in response, already toddling as fast as its small legs would allow over to the stream bank. Togepi tottered dangerously close to the side, but was pulled back by Pikachu, who let out a characteristic "chaaa."

Misty, began to edge slowly, very slowly, over to the stream bank. And Ash fought the urge to laugh at her again. He caught her arm, as she made a reach for Togepi. "You can't stay scared of Pokemon who aren't going to hurt ya, Mist."

"Let go of me this instant, Ash Ketchum!"Anger flared into her voice, but it was soon lost, as her gaze fell on Togepi's form. "Come to Misty, Togepi. Come on – Ash!"

He pulled her gently downward, until she was knelling unwillingly beside him. "Let me show you something, Misty. Pikachu, see if you can get the Surskit up here."

Misty seemed at a loss to say anything, as Pikachu yelled something to the Surskit, who was now peeking its head curiously above the water. Ash reached out his right hand towards the bug type, and it swam a few paces forward. Misty squeaked in terror, and tried to move away, but Ash's grip held firm.

"Besides, Mist, Surskit's a Water type. I thought you _liked _Water types. "

"I do! Just . . . not that one. But why do you care?" squeaked Misty in a high pitched voice.

"Well, how can you be a Water Pokemon Master if you're afraid of a Surskit?"

"I think Ash actually has a point this time, Misty."

Misty glared back at him and Brock, but didn't say anything as she continued to try and pull away from him as the Surskit eyed them nervously. Ash grinned. He knew she knew he was right.

The Surskit, at Pikachu's prompting, slid forward toward Ash's hand, and Ash could see Brock watching them with an almost contemplative look. The small spider-like Pokemon skittered onto Ash's submerged right hand. He then lifted the small Surskit up, setting it lightly on the ground. It stared at them, and Misty was already trying furtively to pull away from him.

"Mist, it's not doing a thing. Does it look like it's going to attack –"

"Prrrriiiii!" Togepi, face wide with delight, was toddling toward the Surskit. But on his merry way, he tripped. A small pebble (though a rock to Togepi) was the culprit that sent the egg Pokemon tumbling forward. And on his way, he unfortunately ran into the Surskit.

Even more unfortunate was the fact that as the Surskit skid backward into the water, it decided to retaliate with a flurry of rainbow colored bubbles, before skidding off in such haste that Ash declared sometime later "Fast enough to earn a Pikachu's envy."

Brock had at least the courtesy not to laugh at the appearance of the pair, while the remnants of the onslaught disappeared with almost inaudible pops.

"You were _saying,_ Ash."

Ash eyed Misty nervously. "Well . . ."

"This is all your fault!"

She broke free of his grasp, and automatically reached out and picked up Togepi, who had been chasing what was left of the bubbles.

"My fault? Togepi was the one who –"

Misty, whose temper never ceased to amaze Ash, glared back at him. "Don't you even _think_ about blaming this on Togepi."

"Well he was the one who bumped into Surskit in the first place, or did that fact not reach that narrow mind of yours?"

"Well that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't –"

Brock let out a very loud, audible sigh, before stepping between the two, as he had countless times before. "You'll forgive me if I don't exactly feel like playing referee between the two of you right now. So could you please quit it?"

"Only if he apologizes."

"I'm not apologizing to you!"

Misty huffed and moved away from him, nearer to the waterside, sending what Ash deemed to be evil glances.

Brock shook his head, before clapping a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Just apologize, Ash. You'll probably be apologizing her for the rest of your life. So . . ." he said in an almost sickening cheery tone, that reminded Ash of the someone who told had dying man to cheer up, "you might as well get some practice."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Ash demanded.

Brock sighed. "Interpret however you want. Just apologize."

"Fine!" yelled Ash, though very far from feeling the least bit sorry, and Pikachu jumped. "Hear that, Misty? I'm sorry!"

Misty scowled, and walked passed them in the most dignified way she could. Perhaps she was intending to give him the silent treatment. Of course, that was fine with him. To think he had tried to be nice to her, and she just blamed him for doing it in his face. He stomped along after both Misty and Brock. _Girls._

"Pichupi, chuuuu," said Pikachu, in an exasperated tone, before taking his usual place by his Trainer's side.

"I know how you feel, buddy," said Ash. "You try to do something nice to them and they over react."

"Chaaa," the mouse Pokemon replied, shaking its head, and Misty's voice yelled back angrily at him.

"I heard that, Ash!"

Pikachu and Brock sighed. Pikachu glanced up at Brock and both looked at each other, sharing a rather knowing look. Brock then spoke to Pikachu in what seemed like a sagely tone. "Don't worry. They'll forget about, they always do."

-------

As much as Ash hated to admit it, both he and Misty were on as good of terms as they had been before the incident. It hadn't taken them long to arrive at the camping spot Ash had pre-chosen days ago. It was a secluded place. The thick Serenity Forest surrounded them on every side of the large clearing. But Ash had chosen the spot specifically for its very large lake, known as the Lake of Tranquility. Nearly all the rivers and streams were connected to the Lake, but the only way that water ever got out was via the Tranquility Falls, not more three fourths of a mile away. The other reason Ash had chose it was because of its large area. So the chances of them being bothered by someone other then wild Pokemon, was scarce.

Misty had loved it upon first sight. And that had been Ash's intent, as this was where he was planning to hold Misty's seventeenth birthday. Of course, this was unbeknownst to her and Brock. After all, she never would expect the "thick headed Ash" to actually think ahead, or Brock either. Ash smirked at the thought. She would be surprised indeed.

Brock, his large crock-pot over the fire, was sitting just across from him, adding whatever necessary ingredients he saw fit. Though selfish the thought may have been, Brock's cooking was one of the things Ash valued most about his dependable friend. If it hadn't been for him, Ash guessed he would have spent most of his sixteen years eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and his Pokemon off wild berries.

Misty was over by the lake only a few yards away accompanied by her Togepi, Vaporeon, Politoad, Corsola, and yes, Psyduck. Her Pokemon seemed to be having quite an enjoyable time swimming (or floundering in Psyduck's case) in the water. Currently they were engaged in a game of water tag. Streams of Water Guns and brightly colored Bubblebeams were plentiful. And, to Ash's resentment, he didn't see _Misty once _getting mad at her Pokemon when a low powered Water Gun or Bubble went astray.

Misty herself was, as Ash had expected, fishing. And with her famous "Misty Lure," to top it off. It was the very lure that had caused Ash to burst into laughing fits - or stares of odd disbelief in some when she actually caught something - many times during their journey.

The most prominent of these memories, was when she had actually caught a Totodile with it. Of course, it had been he, Ash, who had ended up capturing the Totodile. But doubt had always gnawed at him at who had really caught the Pokemon that day. So often times he could be found convincing himself that _he_ was the one who truly caught Totodile. Misty had only flushed the Totodile out. Another bit of key evidence to support this theory: Totodile would bite onto anything that happened to be dangled in front of his face.

Speaking of Totodile . . .

Ash looked around, finally locating the small blue crocodile. He smiled, as he watched Totodile leap into the air, shouting out some loud and important word in Pokelanguage, before landing gracefully on his feet. The Pokemon clapped at the entertainment, shouting for more. And the optimistic Totodile was more then glad to oblige. The water type waved its arms wildly, and began to animatedly tell some sort of story.

The Pokemon listening to the Pokemon's antics were mainly Brock's Pokemon. However, the seemingly most attentive of all of them, was his Quilava. The friendship that existed between Quilava and the Totodile was something that Ash marveled at. Both Pokemon had almost opposite personalities. Totodile was an optimistic, Happy-go-lucky Water type, Quilava, on the other hand, was a very serious, down to earth Fire type.

But, after a particularly traumatic experience involving Team Rocket, it was rare to find one without the other. Strange as it was, it gladdened Ash to know such a friendship could come between his Pokemon.

A Flareon was also sitting in the large circle around Totodile. She was one of the newest additions to Brock's team, and was Brock's pride and joy. He had won her (in egg stage) during a Breeding Contest that he had participated in with Suzy. Vulpix had been the contestant that day, and she had easily won. (According to Brock, the Ninetails was absolutely no contest.)

Vulpix, who had once been Brock's Pokemon, was returned to Suzy, Vulpix's original owner. In return for helping her win the Breeding Contest, he had acquired the main prize, an Eevee egg. And so, Flareon entered his team.

Flareon was not the only creature to grace Brock's team. The Onix he had ever since the beginning was still with him, as well as his Crobat and a new creature that was called Mudkip. All three of them, he noticed, were also sitting around Totodile, listening to his story. Ash felt a pang of longing in his chest. If only he could understand them as they understood him. The barrier of communication seemed astounding to him. To think that such sentient creatures could understand every word their Trainer said, yet were unable to respond in an language humans could understand. Unless, that is, you counted Jessie and James's Meowth, and a few other Pokemon that had acquired human speech.

"Leeeef!"

A strange looking dinosauresque figure was running quickly across the grass, before jumping up and hitting Ash hard in the chest. The impact easily sent him tumbling backwards over the log he had been sitting on. He groaned, but he couldn't help but smile at the look a familiar grass type was giving him.

Bayleef had always been fond of him – very fond, since she was a Chikorita. And when it came down to it, if there was one Pokemon that had the most human-like characteristics, it was Bayleef herself. Brock had often compared her to some teenage fan girl. Well, Ash's fan girl to be more exact. And, though Ash hadn't understood what Brock had meant before, he understood it perfectly now.

"What 'cha got there, Bayleef?" said Ash.

Bayleef looked guiltily back at him, noticing what she had done, and quickly got off him, before giving him a large, green seed that was clutched in her vines. "Bayeff!"

"What the . . .?"

The seed was strange, and it was like no seen Ash had ever seen before. It was large, and covered in a protective green casing. But there was a certain sparkle to it that made Ash wonder.

"What did she find, Ash?"

He turned to Brock, and obligingly handed him the seed. He immediately threw it back to him, and laughed. "It seems Bayleef found a Miracle Seed."

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed, before looking confused. "Well . . . does it do anything?"

"For being such an avid Pokemon trainer, you can be so dense sometimes," answered Brock, adding an odd leafy herb into the crock-pot. "It's supposed to enhance the power of Grass type moves."

"Wow . . ." said Ash, impressed. To think a seed could be this helpful. "Well done, Bayleef. With this, you and I'll be unstoppable!"

"Bay bay!"

The Grass Pokemon was clearly overjoyed at her Trainer's praise. A sweet and spicy scent began to fill the clearing. "I'll tell you what, we'll make a necklace out of this for you."

"BAY!" Another astounding leap knocked Ash flat again.

"I know you're happy, but get off."

Bayleef smiled sheepishly, and blushed. Ash laughed and pushed her off. She looked a bit indignant at the sudden movement.

"Done!" said Brock, with an air of satisfaction. "Chef Brock has once again cooked a master piece. I shall call it 'Stew a la Serenity!'"

"Awesome!" exclaimed Ash. "About time, too."

The Pokemon, after hearing Brock's exclamation, moved eagerly forward, and Ash had to stop Totodile from diving headlong into the stew, at which the Totodile protested.

"C'mon, Misty!" Ash called. "I don't want to be waiting here all day."

"I'm coming," she said, and Ash finally noticed that she appeared to have caught something. Well, she was trying to anyway.

There was a splash, and a brown fish burst out of the water, and Misty let out a call of joy. Immediately forgetting about the food, Ash rushed over to see what exactly Misty had reeled in. _Nothing great, surely._

Ash was once again right. It had to be the ugliest thing that had ever flopped upon the ground. Brown and scaly with a face not even a mother could love, it bore a resemblance not to a live fish, but a dead one. In fact, if it hadn't flopped around, gasping for air, Ash would have thought it dead.

Though Ash was unsure if he even wanted to remember this thing in times to come, he took out Dexter anyway.

"_Feebas, a Fish Pokemon of the Water type. While Feebas's body is in tatters, it has a hardy and tenacious life force that enables it to live anywhere. However, this Pokemon is also slow and dimwitted, making it an easy catch."_

"Well, that's a surprise," Ash muttered under his breath. "It's like some kind of radioactive Magikarp."

A mummer of accent rose from the Pokemon gathered around them.

Misty, however, seemed thrilled – no, ecstatic – and Ash could not even begin to figure out why. To his horror, Misty took a Lure Ball out of her bag. In the moments that followed (equaling somewhere around four seconds) the ball hit, wiggled once, then dinged. Ash could bet that even Caterpie had put up a better fight, and _that_ was saying something.

"I caught it!" Misty exclaimed, and Ash continued to stare at her in disbelief.

"That has got to be the ugliest thing I have ever seen . . ."

"Now, yes," said Brock. "But a Feebas is the Ugly Duckling of the Pokemon world."

"What? It turns into a swan?"

Both Misty and Brock looked incredulously back at him. "What?"

"It evolves into Milotic, Ash," said Misty, and Ash could swear he saw stars in her eyes. He opened his Pokedex, and a Milotic appeared on the screen, and Dexter began to speak.

"_Milotic, a Water type Pokemon. Milotic is said to be the most beautiful of all the Pokemon. It has the power to becalm such emotions as anger and hostility to quell bitter feuding."_

It was beautiful – even Ash had to admit it. Although, flipping back to the Feebas screen, he couldn't help but wonder if the Pokedex was working properly. How could something like that . . ."You have got to be kidding – that ugly thing evolves into this?"

"Yep, through Beauty," said Brock.

"That's insane."

"Insane, but true," said Brock.

"How are you going to manage that?" asked Ash to Misty. "Anything's better looking then that thing."

Misty was stumped, and Ash grinned in victory. How indeed were they going to do it? Stick a bow on it or something?

"Don't worry, for Brock is here, Pokemon Breeder extraordinaire. I'll have Feebas looking great in no time."

Ash highly doubted that. A boost in the fish's self-esteem was what it needed, more likely.

"Really, Brock!" exclaimed Misty.

"Of course. Consider it your birthday present."

"Thank you!" Misty exclaimed, throwing her arms around Brock in a quick hug. Ash felt a strange emotion rise within him as he saw Misty embrace him. Was this . . . _jealousy?_

"It's no problem at all," Brock replied as Misty released him.

Ash didn't know why, but he had the sudden urge to yell aloud to Misty that if there was one person who could make even that ugly thing look pretty, it was he, Ash.

"I'm glad _somebody_ remembered that my birthday was coming up," said Misty, sending glare Ash's way. Ash wanted to yell out that he _had_ remembered, and that he had the perfect present that anybody could ever give her. But the secret had to be kept. Not even Brock knew what he was planning. He settled on grinning sheepishly. She would be getting the best gift ever . . .

Brock suddenly chuckled, and Ash shot a questioning glance over to him. "What?"

"I was just thinking, we really could have really used one of those - Milotic, I mean."

There was something in the way Brock said it, that mad Ash's eyes narrow. "What do you mean 'we could have really used one of those'?"

"Well, it says that Milotic has the power to calm bitter feelings. And you and Misty do fight a lot. Don't give both give me that look – you both know perfectly well it's true."

"Brock-"growled Ash, clenching his teeth. And he was about to say something more, in his own defense, when Quilava's voice startled him.

"Quil! Lava!"

The warning voice of Quilava, and the crashing of pans brought Ash back to his senses. Only then, did he realize, a certain crocodile Pokemon was not with them. Ash groaned.

Back by the campfire, Totodile's head was inside the tipped crock-pot, lapping up its contents greedily. The excess that had escaped Totodile's jaws was now ruined, spilled all over the brown earth. Ash had the sudden suspicion that dinner would now consist of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

------

A/n: Any comments, criticism, suggestions are welcome. I'd be glad to have any reviews. It keeps one going.

Now, onto Reviewer Replies.

Reviewer Replies:

**Hazy Aurora:** Thanks so much. grins I like Suicune, too.

**Blood Vampire**: Thanks for your review! Yeah, I love Espeon. I already have her planned into the story. So, just wait.

**Danoh1989**: Glad you liked it. Hope this chapter didn't disappoint.

**Ash Ketchum, Pokemon Master:** Philosophical? Really? Thanks. Beware the money hungry lawyers? Well, if those Money Hungry Lawyers stop by, I shall have to introduce them to my Persian, then we'll see if they want to take what little money I have. Raikou as a Sabre Tooth tiger? Yeah, I could kinda see that. Except for the fact Raikou has stripes and a long tail, and kinda lacks those super-long fangs of theirs. Suicune? A deer. That's an interesting interpretation. Personally, I always have believed Suicune to be female, on account of the fact her "Antlers" as you call them, are shaped in the sign that they use to identify female Pokemon, if you look closely.

Lugia, yes, if everything goes as planned, he will be in the fic. So will a few others, in fact. Who's stronger? Hmm . . . Lugia, I think, is stronger strength wise (heck, he's HUGE) but Ho-oh has that mysterious quality about him, plus he's so awesome looking. (He is also a TM God among Pokemon.) Plus, he has Sacred Fire. Also, he has that ultra cool (in my opinion) "job" about being the one who watches over human and Pokemon to oversee their relationships and what not. But Lugia is still awesome in his own right. Who's the 'Apathy of Shadow?' Well, you'll find out. And thanks a ton for your e-mail, it meant a lot.

**Alex Warlorn:** No, Absol is not the forth. (Though I love the thing dearly) Good guess though. And thanks for the "Rocket" advice. You're right of course, I didn't see that. I'll go back and edit it so it makes more sense. Yeah, I recall when Ash had that Larvitar, too bad he couldn't keep it. I agree about Ash having an Espeon, and don't worry, I think you'll be seeing it soon enough. (Arguably, Espeon is one of my personal favorites, next to Persian.) And Richie met Celebi? Awesome. Richie and Gary are my favorite "non-main" characters.

**Nuclear Kitty**: Togepi? Of course. Misty would never be Misty without Togepi! And Vaporeon's awesome, so, she has one now.

**Dannichu**: Evil! I agree. And Pidgeot, while we may see him in the future, right now he wont be in it. But thanks very much for your compliments. I appreciate it.

**Ri2**: Hey! Thanks. And yeah, Bayleef's in it. She's awesome (with her little crush on Ash an all) Hope to hear more from you!

**Act**: Man! Grammar mistakes. Bleh! I tend to do that a lot. Thanks for pointing them out. Afeared? It /is/ a word, it means afraid (yeah, you probably guessed it) for some reason I used it while writing, it sounded cool to me, so it stuck. Thanks for your advice!

**Surfingpikachu05**: Thanks for your review!


	2. Chapter 2: A Night to Remember

A/n: Sorry, this is _not _a new chapter. I merely divided the second chapter into two, since it was a little long. HOWEVER, I did make a few changes to the story, and added a few lines here and there if you're interested in reading. The major change you should note would be that Gary didn't defeat Ash, like I said before, in the Johto League. But Ash did lose with Pikachu to Gary's Umbreon in a battle they had some time back. In chapter 1, I also added some dialogue at the Surskit part, at a suggestion from readers, and also added some dialogue in chapter 1 where the Feebas part takes place. And in this chapter I added a tiny snippet to the dream Ash had, as well as a little line given to Swellow before it set off.

Also, about the 'Apathy of Shadow': It's not Absol. -- But to try and help a little about what he is, I added a very, very small line to the prologue when he first appears. If it helps any. The New chapter, I hope, will come out.. maybe on Wed. or Thurs.

Disclaimer: Hellooo. What would I be doing here if I owned Pokemon. Meh. I do own this story though. The plot, made up Pokemon – stuff like that.

**With the Wind at My Back **

Part 1: The Ties that Bind

"_Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. "– Lynda Berry_

Chapter 2: A Night to Remember

"_Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things_-Marcus Tullius Cicero

_-------_

Night had come quickly upon Serenity Forest, and the though dinner was not as satisfactory as it could have been, Ash kept in mind that having sandwiches once in awhile never heart anybody. He had even been brave enough to take Pikachu's method of eating the sandwich. That entailed dumping a packet ketchup on the sandwich, and then more ketchup. Although, it was notable that Pikachu was very reluctant to part with one of his ketchup packets that he had scrounged from a local fast food restaurant.

He and Bayleef were now returning from a forest expedition to fetch some sort of material to make a necklace with. They had both settled for some kind of thin, ivy like vine to string the Miracle Seed through. And upon contact with Bayleef's skin, it had pulsed an elegant green, and hadn't stopped randomly doing so from time to time.

"Bay leef!" cried the Grass type, puffing out her chest to make the necklace look more noticeable for about the third time in the past five minutes.

"I told you it looks great on ya, Bay –"

He paused, and Bayleef paused dead in her tracks, looking up into the sky like her Trainer. "Leeef?"

A loud flapping of wings, and a small gust of wind preceded her questioning remark.

"Show off," Ash smirked.

A large bird was soaring gracefully downwards toward him and Bayleef. It was an elegant creature, clothed with royal blue plumage that shined brightly in the coming moonlight. The dug its talons in a tree branch overhead, a melodious chirp coming from its yellow beak. It lifted its leg obligingly, a letter attached to it.

Ash took it eagerly, stroking the bird on the head as it flew onto his shoulder. "Nice job, Swellow. I wonder if he found it . . ."

Swellow cawed happily, and Ash knew he wouldn't be disappointed. He tore open the letter with enthusiasm, while Bayleef looked on, perplexed.

He laughed, reading the letter to himself.

_Hey, Ash!_

_Of course I'll come for her birthday! I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm glad to see your making at least some progress with her – it's about time you actually did something nice for her –_

Ash flushed, and muttered an illegible word under his breath. "Get to the point, Richie . . ."

_Yeah, I can guess what you're thinking now. 'Get on with it, Richie'. Patience is a virtue, Ash, and it's about time you learned it! Anyway, I found what you wanted. And I'm picking it up tomorrow. The store was closed when I finally found the best store to purchase it at. I'm surprised you didn't want to come and get this yourself; you could easy hide it from her and Brock, couldn't you?_

_Well, maybe not. Misty's a sharp one. Of course, I doubt she'd ever expect this. Really, Ash, it took you six years to actually do this? Anyway, hopefully I'll make it in time. You're in the Serenity Forest right? But where exactly? Oh! You'll never guess who's right beside me –_

Ash's eyes widened as he read the rest of the paragraph. Indeed, he would never have guessed.

_Gary! Your rival (or so he's told me). It seems he's interested in coming. So . . . could he come? (He says he'll come whether you like it or not). But it's better to be polite. If we make it in good time, we arrive right on her birthday – the day after tomorrow – in the afternoon. So, make sure to look for us! Oh, Sparky says 'Hi'. _

_Until then, _

_Richie._

Gary. They had been rivals ever since they were little. They had been friends then. And maybe it was safe to say that they were at least _friendly rivals _now. Granted, Ash still believed Gary was the most pompous jerk ever to live on the planet.

_He's so over confident, _thought Ash.

**Just like you,**said a still small voice in his brain.

_Thinks he knows everything,_

**Ahuh. **

_And thinks he's better than everybody – and me. _

**He did beat you the last time you met. Remember?**

_Which he is most definitely not – I'm way better then he is._

**There's the pot calling the kettle black . . .**

Ash sighed. And read it aloud for Bayleef and Swellow's benefit. If Gary did show up, he'd show him. "Gary won't even know what hit him. And that Umbreon of his."

"Bay, bay!" Bayleef agreed, stomping her foot on a small rock in agreement. "Bay!"

"Swellow!"

"Huh? Oh, there's another one?" He looked inside the envelope, and there, indeed, was another small piece of paper. Ash scowled. He could bet he knew whom the other letter was from. Only half the page was written on. Gary never was one to write long letters. It took up too much of is 'time', the jerk. He then read it, albeit with reluctance. He wasn't sure he really wanted to hear what the ignorant guy had to say.

_Ashy boy,_

_Hope you're at least doing a little bit better then the bedraggled state I saw you last time. You have an interesting choice in friends, I must say. Though at least Richie shows some sense in battling – unlike you._

Ash felt his blood begin to boil as he went on. _That Gary._

_Maybe you'll be actually worth a small battle when I arrive here with Richie tomorrow. (Whether you like or not, Ash, I'm comin'! This is too good of an opportunity to pass up.) I didn't know you had an interest in that red-head. Though Richie told me he'd always thought you had an interest in her._

Ash blushed. Really! Did doing something nice for a girl's birthday immediately merit that he liked her?

_Ha! Ashy boy is finally growing up! But you probably don't know the first thing about girls. You've always been an Idiot, Ash, and always will be._

_Catch ya later, Ash._

_--Gary Oak_

Ash shook his head, fighting the temptation to crumble up the paper into a small ball and throw it away – or have Quilava burn it into oblivion. However, he satisfied himself in tearing the piece of paper in half, and using the unused half of the paper to scribble down a reply with a pencil in his pocket.

_Richie,_

_Thanks a ton, bud! Anyway, to Gary: do whatever. It's not like you'd actually listen to me anyway. See you in a couple of days. We're located at the North end of Serenity Forest. You should be able to find it, no problem. _

_--Ash Ketchum_

He restrained himself from putting "Ash Ketchum: Pokemon Master" in the signature, out of spite. Just because he lost to Gary in the Johto League . . . well, that didn't mean a thing. He had only lost because of that dang Umbreon.

The recollection of Pikachu being smashed into ground by the Dark type flashed in his mind. But Pikachu was a lot stronger now. There was no way that fox thing could beat Pikachu again.

He folded up the sheet of paper, and stuck it back into the envelope, still tied with a string onto Swellow's foot.

"Feel up for another journey then?"

"Swellow!"

Swellow rose off Ash's shoulder, and nodded his head. With any luck, Swellow would be back himself before around tomorrow afternoon. "Good luck, Swellow. Don't show off in front of Rose too much!"

The bird puffed out his bright white chest, cawing in response, before doing a couple of back flips in the air. Swellow then shoot off into the distance. If only he still had Pidgeot, then he could fly there himself and be back in no time.

"Coming, Bayleef? We should be getting back. It's getting really dark now."

"Aylef," the Grass type agreed, and began to follow Ash when she stopped dead in her tracks. "Bay!" she roared in challenge. Ash turned around.

"What is it?"

Bayleef growled, and the bushes in few feet away from her began to rustle. She ran forward, diving headlong into the bushes, but only a confused cry came from her, and she came back out, shaking her head.

"Nothing there?"

She shook and nodded her head.

"Oh. It got away, huh? Wonder what it was. Maybe it was some cool Pokemon, like a Houndour or somethin'."

Bayleef shrugged, and both turned and headed toward camp.

They arrived there not five minutes later. The fire was burning brightly, and the full moon shown overhead. Brock was sitting by the fire, tending it with Flareon and Pikachu by his side. Misty, from the looks of it, was already asleep, snuggled deep into her red sleeping bag.

"We were wondering where you had got to."

Ash merely shrugged. "Bayleef and I just had to find a vine for her necklace. Huh, Bayleef."

She nodded, looking a bit envious as Pikachu vaulted into Ash's arms, then onto is shoulder. Nevertheless, she puffed out her chest ceremoniously, and the large Miracle Seed that was hanging about her neck, pulsated green.

"It looks great Bayleef."

"Pika, pkahh chu."

"Beey," she said proudly, sitting down beside the roaring fire.

Ash yawned, and Pikachu followed suite a few moments later. "Tired, bud?"

"Kachu."

Ash smiled, moving over to his sleeping bag, beginning to unzip it. Pikachu, jumping off Ash's shoulder, snuggled into the sleeping bag.

"Hey, Ash."

"What?"

"You're up to something."

Ash looked sideways at Brock. "What makes you say that?"

"Lets call it intuition. There's got to be a reason you wanted to come to this place."

"I told you," said Ash, a little more gruffly then intended, "I came here to train. I'm probably just going to take Pikachu and I out training tomorrow."

"I don't doubt that. But _besides_ training."

"Brock, I only came here to train."

"So this has nothing to do about Misty's birthday?"

"Where did _that_ theory come from?"

"Just a guess. Then you forgot her birthday, I expect. Like you did last year."

Ash gritted his teeth. "I didn't forget her birthday _this year _or last year."

"Could've fooled me."

"I don't need you questioning everything I do, Brock."

"No, perhaps not. But you've been acting strange lately _and _a certain Pokemon was missing from the meal yesterday."

_Swellow! I'm such an Idiot! _

Ash sighed. If only he hadn't been so careless. Maybe he should've had Richie's Taillow, Rose, deliver the messages. But it would've taken longer, as Swellow was much faster.

He supposed that he had no reason to hide his plan from Brock, but he had hoped he could've hidden it until the day after tomorrow. Misty wasn't the only one he wanted to surprise. Well . . . maybe telling the truth _was_ the best policy. No harm in trying . . .

"I was using Swellow to send a letter to Richie," Ash said, feeling quite proud of himself. _Not a lie, no not at all._

Brock looked quite surprised, and Ash grinned. "Richie? I didn't know he was in the region."

"He's not too far from here, only a day's journey or so."

"Alright, I believe you. But still, why did you have to hide it from us?"

"Well . . ." Ash muttered slowly. "I kinda wanted it to be a surprise . . . but . . ."

"All right, all right, I get it, Ash."

"Oh," said Ash quickly. "Gary's coming, too."

Brock laughed. "Never saw that coming. You're actually asking Gary to come here?"

Ash glowered at Brock darkly. "If I had it my way, he wouldn't be coming at all. But he kinda invited himself."

"That's typical of Gary."

"Yeah, the idiot. Anyway, don't tell Misty about it."

"Why not?"

"I'd actually like _someone _to be surprised."

"All right, all right, point taken. But you never need to hide anything from us, Ash, you know that don't you?"

Ash snorted, settling himself in his sleeping bag, and Pikachu automatically climbed over Ash, curling up by his chest. "Of course I do. I'm not stupid."

"I don't know, you can act pretty dense sometimes."

"So do you when you're around women," Ash pointed out.

"Well . . . yeah. Whatever, Ash. Just get some sleep."

It was dark. No moon, no stars, no sun, just blackness. Then, an inkling of light from somewhere – he wasn't sure where, was seen. It got a little brighter, and he realized he was in the middle of a large field. But it was not green and bright, full of wildflowers and playing Pokemon. It was dead. The grass was dry and stiff, like newly strewn straw, and the hard packed earth was colored red and brown, the color of dried blood.

There was a fell breeze blowing from the South, and a strange haunting melody was drifting, drifting across the breeze, like a feather through the windy sky. It sang of sadness, and of a time long forgotten and lost. A dark Pokemon began to move slowly across his path, before moving into a run. It was black and white with a strange tail and blood red eyes. He had seen this Pokemon somewhere before. Maybe in his Pokedex once. He began to reach for his Pokedex, to discover what exactly this Pokemon was, but it vanished in a cloud of smoke; and with it, the song vanished.

A screech, melodious despite its strange tone, tore open the silence, and a familiar rainbow bird flew overhead, then upward. He had definitely seen this Pokemon before, first when he started his Pokemon Journey, and a second time when he had left with Misty and Brock for Hoenn. Ho-oh.

A great golden flame was surrounding the Rainbow Bird, until even he, Ash, felt the heat upon his brow. And he fancied he heard a noble voice speak.

"_And from the ashes of the dead, shall the living rise. And so the Cycle of Life be renewed once more-"_

A rain of golden flames surged downwards like fiery arrows. And at once, the field sparked aflame, and Ash tried desperately to run, but the fire surrounded him before he knew it. But even as the flames touched him, he felt nothing. The fires ceased as quickly as they had rained down. Black soot and ash covered the ground. _A dream, this was all it had to be. _The deep voice rang out again.

"_In honor of the Chosen's deed, I command ye rise! Rise again and live! For the Judgment has passed. "_

Out of the ashes thousands of green shoots shot out of the earth, flowering before his eyes. It was alive and green again, like it should have been, and had been, and would be.

But even though the Ho-oh's voice was loud and noble, full of hope and pride, there was a deep melancholy in it. "_And so the cycle shall begin again. But first, one must understand others, and one's self. So let him seek and find. Let the farmer find the seeds, and till the earth, and learn to plant, then let him reap the harvest."_

All was suddenly black again, until he beheld a solid black sky. A ghostly figure standing before him. It looked very much like him, Ash realized. But then again, this boy looked different. The strange Pokemon that Ash had seen before was trotting down the hill, its blood red eyes gleaming eerily in the dark. It was beside the boy now, it lifted up a clawed paw, as if to strike, and mist covered the fields, until he could barely see. And if he walked, Ash knew he would not have the faintest clue where to go. And Ho-oh's voices reverberated once again across the field.

"_But first, one must understand others, and one's self. So let him seek and find. Let the farmer find the seeds, and till the earth, and learn to plant, then let him reap the harvest."_

Ash jolted upright, feeling sweat on his forehead. He was breathing hard, and he could hear Pikachu mumbling quietly in his sleep. _It was only a dream._

He looked around, over to the lake and the moon across from it. Somebody was over there. _Misty. I wonder what she's doing up._

Ash moved carefully out of his sleeping bag, as to not disturb Pikachu, and he moved towards Misty. She jumped as he suddenly sat beside her. Togepi was in her arms, snoozing gently.

"And what exactly are you doing up?" he said, unsure of exactly what else to say.

"N-nothing-" she stammered, as she turned to him. He looked back at her curiously. Had she been crying?

He had seen her crying before, and he heart panged in his chest. He didn't like to see her cry – he didn't like to see her mad either, but this was different.

"Something wrong?"

"No."

"You can tell me if something's wrong, Mist." Man, he sounded like Brock.

"Nothing's wrong. I just had a bad dream, that's all."

"What was it about?" he asked softly.

"Nothing." Her voice was sharper now. "And what does it matter to you? What are you doing up?"

"Same thing as you, Misty. Just a dream. A strange one at that. There was a Pokemon in it I didn't recognize. Man, I wish I could have caught it."

She chuckled, though her voice still was shaky, "What was it?"

"Hmm... it was black and white, with a strange tail and something almost like a grayish black jewel thing in its forehead –"

Misty froze, and Ash had a sudden thought, it seemed preposterous to him, but he said it anyway. "Did you dream about that thing, too, Mist?"

She nodded. "Don't you know what that is? It's an Absol."

Ash grinned. "Absol? Awesome. I'm going to catch one of those someday."

Misty looked frightened, but he couldn't imagine why. "I – I saw you, or at least, it looked like you in the middle of some field and then –"she shivered, then continued onward, "the Absol came, and then there was mist, and you were gone."

It was Ash's turn to freeze. How had she dreamed the same dream he had . . . and how much had she saw. He tried to make his voice sound cheerful, but it still was a far cry from being normal. "Was that all that happened in that dream of yours, Mist?"

She nodded, and he breathed a sigh of relief, though he didn't know why.

"Oh, Ash. You don't know realize what it means, do you? Absol is the omen of death and destruction. Wherever it appears, something bad always happens –"

"It was only a dream, Misty. It'll be fine," said Ash consolingly. He was trying just as hard to convince Misty that everything would be fine, as he was trying to convince himself. And even though he had a strange dark feeling in the pit of his stomach, he smiled as reassuringly as he could.

"But what if you –"

"Quit with the what ifs. Even if something bad does happen – which it won't – I'll always come back."

"You promise?"

Ash was taken aback by the statement, but nodded. "Dreams don't mean nothin'. But yeah, I promise . . . I'll promise on . . ." His face suddenly brightened. "Hold on."

He scrambled back to his bag, looking madly through it, before picking up something in his hand. He smiled as it glistened in the moonlight. Misty was looking keenly at him, and he strode forward holding the object in his hands, before placing it into hers. "Take this."

She took it, and could see her make a small gasp in surprise. "It's - it's beautiful."

A sparkling silver necklace was lying on her palm, the pendant, however, was what caught her eye. It was in the shape of a pokeball, clear and translucent, it seemed to be made of some sort of shiny crystal. It was like looking into water. And when the moonlight beamed onto it, tiny pinpricks of color would sparkle around the orb.

Ash nodded, sitting down beside her once again. "Yeah, my mom gave it to me when I started my Journey. And my dad gave it to her before he . . . left."

"Oh . . . I didn't know that –"

He cut her off. "But that isn't important. Open it –"

She did, pressing the button in the middle of the Pokeball; it opened slowly, like a curtain being drawn before a play. A faint melody began to play; it was beautiful and entrancing at the same time.

"My mom used to sing to that melody to me when I was little. It had special words to it . . . but I forgot them." He shook his head. "Anyway, I promise you as the future Pokemon Master –"she laughed, and Ash grinned widely. "-that no matter what happens, I'll always come back. And that will be the thing that will bind me to it. Happy?"

She nodded, and smiled faintly, though she still seemed sad. "Yeah. Thanks, Ash, you really didn't have to give me this –"

"Nonsense. I wanted to - have wanted to for awhile." He blushed, and he was glad it was dark. "Anyways, we should get back. I want to go out and train tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll catch an Abshoal –"

"Absol."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you call it. I'm still gonna catch it, you just watch me."

Her laugh graced the air again. And this time, it was a genuine happy one. Ash beamed happily. Tonight would be a night he would remember for the rest of his life. And no matter what stepped in his way, he would be ready.

------

A/n: Hope you weren't disappointed by this chapter. And yes, I did take a few liberties about changing what happened to a few episodes in the anime in order to fit the story. I doubt you'll mind, but in case you do, I apologize. And thanks to all those that reviewed, it meant a lot. Any comments, criticism, suggestions are welcome! Oh, I know this chapter was long. If it was /too/ long, just tell me, and I'll split chapters like this into two parts next time.

Now, onto Reviewer Replies.

Reviewer Replies

**Hazy Aurora:** Thanks so much. grins I like Suicune, too.

**Blood Vampire**: Thanks for your review! Yeah, I love Espeon. I already have her planned into the story. So, just wait.

**Danoh1989**: Glad you liked it. Hope this chapter didn't disappoint.

**Ash Ketchum, Pokemon Master:** Philosophical? Really? Thanks. Beware the money hungry lawyers? Well, if those Money Hungry Lawyers stop by, I shall have to introduce them to my Persian, then we'll see if they want to take what little money I have. Raikou as a Sabre Tooth tiger? Yeah, I could kinda see that. Except for the fact Raikou has stripes and a long tail, and kinda lacks those super-long fangs of theirs. Suicune? A deer. That's an interesting interpretation. Personally, I always have believed Suicune to be female, on account of the fact her "Antlers" as you call them, are shaped in the sign that they use to identify female Pokemon, if you look closely.

Lugia, yes, if everything goes as planned, he will be in the fic. So will a few others, in fact. Who's stronger? Hmm . . . Lugia, I think, is stronger strength wise (heck, he's HUGE) but Ho-oh has that mysterious quality about him, plus he's so awesome looking. (He is also a TM God among Pokemon.) Plus, he has Sacred Fire. Also, he has that ultra cool (in my opinion) "job" about being the one who watches over human and Pokemon to oversee their relationships and what not. But Lugia is still awesome in his own right. Who's the 'Apathy of Shadow?' Well, you'll find out. And thanks a ton for your e-mail, it meant a lot.

**Alex Warlorn:** No, Absol is not the forth. (Though I love the thing dearly) Good guess though. And thanks for the "Rocket" advice. You're right of course, I didn't see that. I'll go back and edit it so it makes more sense. Yeah, I recall when Ash had that Larvitar, too bad he couldn't keep it. I agree about Ash having an Espeon, and don't worry, I think you'll be seeing it soon enough. (Arguably, Espeon is one of my personal favorites, next to Persian.) And Richie met Celebi? Awesome. Richie and Gary are my favorite "non-main" characters.

**Nuclear Kitty**: Togepi? Of course. Misty would never be Misty without Togepi! And Vaporeon's awesome, so, she has one now.

**Dannichu**: Evil! I agree. And Pidgeot, while we may see him in the future, right now he wont be in it. But thanks very much for your compliments. I appreciate it.

**Ri2**: Hey! Thanks. And yeah, Bayleef's in it. She's awesome (with her little crush on Ash an all) Hope to hear more from you!

**Act**: Man! Grammar mistakes. Bleh! I tend to do that a lot. Thanks for pointing them out. Afeared? It /is/ a word, it means afraid (yeah, you probably guessed it) for some reason I used it while writing, it sounded cool to me, so it stuck. Thanks for your advice!

**Surfingpikachu05**: Thanks for your review!


	3. Chapter 3: Of Sun and Moon

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon; I repeat, I do not own Pokemon. Ya happy?

A/n: Hey again, I know this is a day late, but as I said, I'm quite erratic in updating/reviewing because of my day. Anyway, thanks to all those who reviewed. I hope you will enjoy this Chapter. I'm sure those of you who read chapter 2 awhile ago, noticed I split it into two, to make reading easier. Note that I also made a few changes. Look in chapter three to see the changes, I heavily advise you do, just to see what has changed. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this installment, and to all those of you who are new, welcome.

**With the Wind at My Back**

By: Persian Mistress

_Part 1: The Ties that Bind_

"_Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart." – Lynda Berry_

_Chapter 3: Of Sun and Moon _

"_Opposites are not contradictory but complementary."_ –Neils Bohr

-------

"Quilava, let's go! Quick attack!"

"Quil!"

The fire type Pokemon darted forward in a blur of speed, going left, right, left, right, disappearing and reappearing seconds later in a zigzag pattern. He was coming closer upon the Flareon, but the other fire type showed no signs of moving. Both Pokemon and trainer stood, watching, waiting . . .

Ash couldn't quite figure out what Brock was playing at, and he didn't know whether he should change the Quilava's attack, or just let him charge forward. But it was too late now, anyway, the Quilava was only a few feet away from the Flareon now, preparing to strike hard and fast.

"Flareon, Fire Spin."

"Flare!"

A thread of bright orange flame surged out of the Flareon's mouth and she breathed outward. Quilava was taken by surprise as he made the final lunge, hoping to strike and land a hit, but instead was pushed back and surrounded by the orange flames. Quilava growled as the flames began to swirl around him, though he could barely feel it with his flame resistant coat. But even so, the Flareon had stopped an attack that should have hit. And now, they were behind.

The fire spin began to subside, and Quilava took his chance, diving through the dying flames where Flareon lay waiting in front of him. They made contact, and Ash yelled in approval as the Quilava turned from his attack and sped away.

"Flamethrower!"

This time, a bigger, brighter river of flame shot out of Quilava's mouth, hitting Flareon in the chest, but she didn't move as the flames licked greedily at her fur coat. Brock shook his head. Flareon pulsated with a red aura for a moment, and at Brock's command released her own flamethrower.

The large flame that had erupted out of the Flareon's mouth surprised Ash, though he tried not to show it, even as it pushed Quilava's own flame back towards the Pokemon. Quilava was then forced to abandon the flamethrower pursuit in order to try and dodge the considerable wave of fire heading his way. He may have been resistant to the element, but not even he wanted to be caught up in the large torrent.

"I told you, Ash, Fire type moves don't do much of anything on Flareon."

"Dodge it Quilava – you can do it!" He then shot a glare at Brock. "I know you told me that. All Fire Types have a resistance to fire, I'm not stupid –"he winced involuntarily as the Quilava was not able to escape the brunt of the Flamethrower that scorched the grass, turning it charcoal black. Once the attack had ceased, both Pokemon stood, muscles tense, waiting for a command. Both, however, were enjoying the respite.

"That's not what I meant, Ash. If you don't have this kind of knowledge, you're not going to always win everything easily. You have to remember the special abilities that set Pokemon apart from one another. While Fire attacks may hurt Flareon a little, she grows stronger for it, and her Fire attacks become even stronger."

"That's just cheap – you could have told me that before I battled her. I haven't fought against your Flareon before. Quilava, swift!"

Tiny stars flew forward, and Flareon began to move as Brock ordered a Quick Attack, before he continued speaking.

"Opponents don't care if that Pokemon's ability is cheap, they'll use it against you, anyway."

The flurry of stars hit Flareon with exact precision, and Quilava managed to evade gracefully out of the way of Flareon's Quick Attack. Spinning around on his paws, he turned to face his opponent's back as she shot passed him.

"You must also use that ability to your advantage, Ash. Flareon, Fire Spin!"

"Try to evade it and hit her with a Quick Attack!"

Again, the Quilava lunged forward, preparing to dodge the stream of flame that came out of Flareon's mouth but it was already too late, and the Quilava was once again trapped in the vortex of fire. The Fire Spin was considerably much stronger then it had been, Ash noticed.

"Take down!"

Flareon immediately lunged forward, and Ash was once again taken by surprise. What was the Flareon doing? The Fire Spin was still up, though it was beginning to swirl to a standstill. He couldn't just have Quilava stand there and be hit. But what could he do . . .?

"Swift!"

Flareon lunged through the flames, not so much as flinching, pulsating red again as she passed through the wall. Quilava lunched a barrage of stars at Flareon again, but she bore the brunt of the attack, slamming hard into Quilava's side. Ash could only watch as the Fire Type was thrown out of the dissipating Fire Spin, and onto the hard ground. Quilava made a valiant attempt to get up, wobbling on unsure paws, but the last Take Down had been too much for him, and he collapsed. Only then, as he recalled the Quilava, did Ash fully realize what Brock had done. He had ordered Flareon to do a Fire Spin, so that Quilava wouldn't be able to move out of the way for the Take Down. If only he had known that before – then maybe he would have won.

Totodile, though his cheering was somewhat subdued, continued to dance around, though Ash could see his eyes wandering towards conspicuously to where their lunch was cooking.

"Not to bad, Ash," said Brock, recalling the Fire Type back into her Pokeball.

"I should've seen that coming," Ash grumbled.

"Oh well, you learned something didn't you? But you can't let anything take you by surprise if you want to get to the top in the Hoenn League. You have to learn to adapt to situations."

"I try to, Brock," said Ash. "I'll be fine."

"I'm sure you will. Anyway, lunch should be ready by now," he moved over toward the campfire, taking out several bowls in a variety of sizes, placing them on the ground. "Come and eat guys!"

The Pokemon that lay scattered about the large clearing began to move toward where the bowls were set, eager to eat.

"Toto!"

"Don't even think about it," said Ash, sweeping up the water type into his arms. "I don't feel like sandwiches today."

The crocodile grinned sheepishly. "Dilllle!"

Sitting down on the log next to the fire, Ash shook his head, putting the Crocodile down on the ground beside him. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

Totodile nodded his head vigorously. "Tototototle!"

Bayleef shot Totodile a reproving glance as she sauntered over, but Totodile merely grinned and winked. Curious, Ash had half a mind to ask what Totodile had said, hoping to at least guess at the answer the mimes would give him. Of course, with Totodile, you never would know exactly what he'd say next.

The soup that Brock had been meticulously stirring looked quite good. Of course, Ash reminded himself, almost anything looked good to him. But Brock had never failed to make a satisfactory dish yet. Ash eagerly took a bowl of hot stew that Brock offered him a few minutes later, having to move the relentless blue maw off to the side as it tried to snake into his bowl.

"Didn't you learn your lesson from last night?" said Brock, dumping a small amount of Pokefood into several bowls. Totodile grinned, and shook his head. "I thought Quilava would talk some sense into you."

Totodile shrugged, jumping off the log and skipping toward the bowl of food that Brock pushed toward him. Immediately, the Totodile began to gulp down the food, barely pausing for much contemplation. Ash scowled, lifting a spoonful of soup into his mouth, too often had Brock told him that their gusto for eating food was the only thing he and Totodile had in common.

The 'Stew a la Serenity' that Brock has also decided to call the dish was, as Ash expected, very good, and he paused in between lifting the soupy mixture up to his mouth again, looking contemplative. It had some sort of herb in Ash couldn't quite recognize – and he usually recognized what kind of herbs were contained in the mixture. Ash made note to ask Brock later.

"Chupi . . ."

Ash looked to the right, and sighed. Pikachu was in his bag again, and Ash immediately knew what the rodent was after as growls of frustration reached his ears, before a loud, happy cry of triumph. The lightning tailed mouse backed hurriedly out of Ash's bag, an almost evil glint in his eyes. In his tiny paws was a packet of ketchup. He hugged it to his chest, and ripped the packet open with his teeth as he reached his bowl, dumping the contents onto his Pokefood. Totodile, who had long since finished his meal, looked covetously over to Pikachu's filled bowl, and then over to another full one, this one unoccupied by a feeding Pokemon; it was Quilava's bowl. The Crocodile seemed to consider his options, but made no move to gulp up its contents.

"Where's Misty?" said Ash, suddenly realizing she wasn't with them.

"Pichupi, chuuu," replied Pikachu through a mouthful of food, his tiny paw pointing over to the lake before Brock could answer.

Ash glanced over to the lake, she was fishing . . .again. And that dratted Feebas was swimming stupidly around in the water, like it owned the place. "I don't get it. How can she stand to even look at Feebas, but run away from Surskit?"

Brock, ladling his soup into his bowl, just shrugged. "Feebas is a water type."

"So is Surskit."

"It's still a Bug type. Plus, it looses its water element when it evolves. Feebas doesn't."

"Oh."

Ash fell silent, and let his thoughts drift back to the happenings of the night before. He had sent Swellow to give a letter to Richie, and Swellow would be returning not long from now. Of course, if you added Rose, Richie's Taillow, into the mixture, maybe he would be a little longer then expected. He glanced over to Pikachu, chewing on a red covered food pellet.

Yes, Pikachu and he would go out and train in the forest today. Maybe he'd check out that waterfall Brock had been telling him about; the Serenity Falls, that's what they were called. He had told Brock already of his plans to visit them, and though Brock had warned Ash that he had heard from some travelers that had stopped by last night while Ash was gone, that it had been unusually misty down at the bottoms, it didn't deter him. After all, mist wasn't going to hurt anything, Maybe Absol lived in this area – he still wanted to catch one of these "disaster" Pokemon. He then thought back to the dream, Absol had been in there.

"Hey, Brock –"Ash began, hesitant.

"Hmm?"

"What do you know about Absol?"

"Absol? I've only heard vaguely about it, but it's rumored that whenever one of those Pokemon appear, disaster seems to follow. It's also been an omen of death and destruction, especially to the people of long ago. Because its always been a feared Pokemon, very few train them. Absol are quite rare, anyway, most reside in the mountains, or so I've read. And they don't come down for much of anything."

"Disaster always follows, huh?"

"So I've heard, although it's probably just a strange superstition. Although, a few people have recorded such events of disaster following an Absol appearance happening. One of the gravest instances that comes to mind, is when an Absol was spotted in Ecruteak, just before the old tower burned down.

"Oh."

It was just like Misty had told him. And even though that red-eyed Pokemon still leered at him from the corners of his brain, he couldn't help but hope it was just superstition, like walking under a latter . . . but. Ash grimaced.

"What's wrong, Ash. Did you see an Absol or something?"

"No," Ash immediately replied, before blushing. "Well, yes . . . but, it was in a dream. I was-"he stumbled, wondering what he could say. "- I was going to catch it."

Brock laughed. "It's probably just superstition, Ash. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah," whispered Ash, unsurety filling his mind.

Brock seemed to sense his friend's edginess, and tactfully changed the subject. "So when's Richie going to be here again?"

"Tomorrow, supposedly," Ash replied, ladling another spoonful of stew into his mouth.

"Good, I look forward to seeing him –"

"Seeing who, Brock?"

Ash coughed, choking on his soup. _When did she get here?_

He saw Misty look at him, disgusted look. Glowering, Ash shot a 'don't-you-even-think-about it' look at Brock, determined he was not going to say one thing about it. Why did she have to all of a sudden come where they were? Couldn't she have, like, called first? That would have been a reasonable thing to do, Ash confirmed to himself.

"Who are you going to be glad to see, Brock?" said Misty, sounding suspicious as well as impatient. No doubt to the fact that neither Ash nor Brock answered her. Both were trying to pretend to be occupied with the stew. Ash was hoping he was putting up at least a feasible act, as he stirred his soup quickly with a spoon. But, as Brock often said, he was a bad liar, and couldn't hide a thing if his life depended on it.

Seeing as not answering would not satisfy Misty, Brock hesitantly answered, "Swellow."

Misty's eyes narrowed, and Ash groaned. Even he could make up a better lie then that.

"Ash's Swellow."

"Who else has a Swellow, Misty?" mumbled Ash, glaring at Brock.

"And _why _would you be happy to see Swellow?"

Brock floundered for an answer, again pretending to take interest in his stew.

"Oh, come on, Brock," said Ash suddenly, eyebrows raised as an idea hit him. "We can tell her, can't we?"

"But, Ash, you said –"

Ash cut him off. He didn't need him screwing up perhaps one of the best lies in the history of Ashton Ketchum. "She can know."

Misty, to Ash's relief, looked vaguely curious. Heartened, Ash continued with his story. He knew he could not afford even a moment of hesitation. "He's been writing to that woman in Petalburg City – April, wasn't it? – anyway, he's been using my Swellow to deliver the letters. She doesn't like Crobat – she's scared stiff of them, or so Brock told me – so he's been using Swellow."

Misty's blue eyes were boring into him now, and he couldn't help but squirm under her gaze, so instead, he turned to Brock, catching his attention. He didn't look angry, but he was surprised to say the least. And was he blushing? Ash smirked. That woman hadn't been that bad looking. Black hair, green eyes, and very tall.

"Th – that's right," stuttered Brock, and Ash grinned widely. Misty looked surprised, but he didn't see that usually noticeable 'I-don't-believe-you' look.

"Oh, so that's why Swellow hasn't been around the past few days, I was wondering . . ."

It was Ash's turn to be surprised, and he almost choked on his stew again. Funny, Misty sounded disappointed. But why? "How did you notice?"

"I actually pay attention to my surroundings, Ash."

The egg Pokemon in Misty's arms waggled his arms in an almost matter-of-fact way.

"Togeprriii!"

"See, Togepi thinks so, too."

Ash scowled deeply, and Brock, much to Ash's disgust, laughed.

"Sad, but true."

"You don't have to rub it in," said Ash grumpily.

Misty giggled and sat down beside him, gladly accepting a bowl of hot stew after she had set Togepi carefully on the ground. To Ash's surprise, she was actually wearing the necklace he had given her. He hadn't expected that. He looked down at Togepi. The little egg Pokemon seemed content, and trilled happily as he placed a few pieces of Pokefood before it, before going back to his own meal.

"So . . ." said Misty, in what Ash believed to be a vain attempt to break the silence, "Wasn't April twenty-eight?"

"Yep."

"Isn't she a bit too old for you?"

Brock shrugged. "All's fair in love and war, Misty."

"I didn't even think you liked her - you seemed more interested in that other Pokemon Nurse, what was her name . . ."

Brock's face reddened, a dreamy look coming to his face. "Ohh, Chelsea, you mean. She had just gotten her Pokemon Nursing degree. She was very good looking, too."

"Every girl is good looking to you –"

"Don't hate me for having a wide taste in women, Ash."

"Whatever, Brock," answered Ash, standing up from his place on the log. He looked toward the forest; its dark appearance full of trees and bushes. He wondered what Pokemon resided in the deepest corners of the serenity forest. He hoped that perhaps Absol did, contrary to what Brock said. But why he was so eager to find this disaster Pokemon, Ash did not quite understand. A knot was forming at the pit of his stomach again, filling him with foreboding. How could one Pokemon distill both fear and excitement into his heart like this? He had never felt this way about any Pokemon before.

A sudden, chilling wind blew through the clearing from the north, and Ash felt heartened. It was only a dream after all. His journey was just beginning, and nothing would stop him now.

"Come on, Pikachu, lets get going."

Pikachu's looked up at him, before stuffing the last piece of ketchup-covered food into his mouth. Ash couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the mouse Pokemon, so unwilling to let one piece go to waste. Pikachu scrambled up to Ash's shoulder, as he let down his hand. He was about to set off, when he suddenly remembered Quilava. Taking the Fire type's Pokeball in hand, he threw it to Brock, who caught it.

"Make sure Quilava gets something to eat when he wakes up, Brock."

"Sure."

"Totoo!"

Ash grinned at the even more ecstatic face Totodile had put on. "That's right, you can watch him for me while we're away, Totodile. Make sure nothing happens, all right?"

Totodile, grinning widely, saluted with his small clawed paw. "Toto dilto! Dile!"

"I'll see you all later," said Ash, turning to leave.

"Wait – you're going somewhere, Ash?"

Misty's voice was hesitant, and Ash stopped dead in his tracks. _The dream. _"Yeah, I'm taking just Pikachu and I off for a little training. Don't worry, I'll be back around sundown. I promise."

"Maybe I should –"

"Naa, I don't want you screaming over every bug-type, Mist," said Ash, putting on what he hoped to be a reassuring grin. Everything would be fine. He promised – and he couldn't let Misty see the letter Swellow would bring back. The bird Pokemon would be looking for him in the woods whenever he decided to come. Swellow wouldn't have any trouble finding him, he had eyes better then any human could hope for.

"All right . . . just . . . be careful."

"Aren't I always, Mist? Wait – don't answer that. But I'll be careful this time, I promise. Besides, I have Pikachu here to watch my back, don't I, Buddy?"

Giving the thumbs up sign, Pikachu bobbed his head. "Pichupi, chuu kahchu."

-----

Sunlight streamed into the Serenity Forest through the many gaps present in the trees, lighting Ash's way as he made his way through the plant covered trail that ran alongside the river he had been following. It wasn't much of a river now, flowing steadily and smoothly through the Forest, but it would soon get faster as he neared the Serenity Falls. He had always wanted to see the Falls from the time he had heard of it. All he had to do was follow the river. Ash stumbled haphazardly through a leafy bush, and a few Tailow flew past his face as it was disturbed.

Apart from a few Tailow, Oddish, and Ratatta, Ash had seen little to no Pokemon throughout the time he had traveled. And none of them seemed to want to battle Pikachu, or Ash deemed that they were too low of a level for Pikachu himself. And he couldn't help but wonder if he had done the right thing in coming here – perhaps he should've stayed for Misty's sake. She had been so tensed and worried, and Ash felt regret that he had caused her to worry. All because of that dream . . .

But to what point and purpose would the dream serve? He had not heard of anyone – save for those fakes that didn't deserve to be called Psychics – that dreams meant much of anything. And those others that tried to tell you your future – or dabble out some piece of flowery prophecy. There was only one person who tried to tell Ash's future – if it could be called that - that at least sounded a little authentic. And that was by an old hag that went by the name of Agatha. Yes, the Elite Four's Agatha. He snorted. Though the mess of words had sounded authentic, it still confused him. It had been about he and Gary, actually.

The memory was still clear in his mind, even though it was from several years ago, he had only been eight back then, during a time Gary and he had journeyed to Viridian City for the very heck of it. He would have never noticed Agatha for what she was, if Gary hadn't pointed her out to him as they crossed the busy streets.

_He was always a know-it-all. Even back then._

He grinned at the memory. All those good times he and Gary had together – they had been great. Even if it had been often at the cost of Ash's ego afterwards at some stupid mistake, he, Ash, not Gary, had done, it had always been worth it. Ash automatically reached for the broken half of the Pokeball that resided in his Pocket. He always carried it with him now, even though no one he was carrying it still, even after the Silver Conference. And it was beyond his capability to readily admit he had kept this trinket of friendship wherever he went. He wondered if Gary still carried his – though perhaps it was nothing more then an idle thought. Gary was even worse then he was at admitting things. But still, he wouldn't choose any other to be a rival.

But back to the day that they met Agatha. That day had been different. Gary had immediately approached the old, wrinkled woman; Ash followed his lead out of pure excitement. He was going to meet a member of the Elite Four after all. Someone who he, back then, was quite sure he was going to beat one day . Agatha had immediately recognized Gary as "Professor Oak's Grandson", and that was the one of the first times in Ash's life that he was glad Gary was.

They began to talk – well, Gary did most of the talking now that Ash came to think of it. He had been too busy staring at a Duskull that was floating around her to talk much. When they had entered the park, she looked at both of them strangely. Ash could distinctly remember the feeling of uneasiness he had felt when she and that Duskull of hers had stared at him. It was like being dunked into an icy pool.

Ash had then, dumbly, asked if she could see the future. Ash's hand immediately shot to his shoulder, rubbing an old bruise that was not there. Gary had hit him hard for daring to ask an Elite a question as childish as that. He distinctly remembered Gary calling him a 'thick headed idiot', too. But Agatha said nothing, just stared at him with that stoic face; not laughing, not smiling, and that plain unnerved him. The Duskull had then circled around them, its one eye going back and forth between its sockets. It had been glowing a strange, purple color.

Agatha looked appraisingly at the Duskull, and then spoke in that old, reedy voice. She pointed at Gary. "The Moon and Sun, boy, have long fought for power over another. Though great be their powers, one cannot be without the other. Without the Moon, would the tide break, and the ties be then broken, and the Sun would blaze forth in power unsurpassed, and the water become lost. But without the Sun would there be no warmth in the land, and all that is bright would turn grey, and coldness would befall the land. But when united, so great is the power, that few can look upon it, yet so is balance kept – remember that, Gary Oak and Ashton Ketchum, and so shall you be well – for the Sun and Moon cannot always vie for power."

Gary stifled a snort of disbelief and Ash knew had Agatha not been a member of the Elite Four, Gary would have spoken out. Ash, however, had not been so gifted in controlling his outbursts.

"That makes no sense. What does that have to do with me? I thought you were going to tell –"

"Patience has never been taught, I see. Patience, boy. You shall understand when the time is right – if it be not too late. Just heed my words."

This, of course, had kept him perplexed for years. Though if it was any vindication, Gary had been confused too. But Gary had pushed it into the chasms of his mind – he never spoke of it during the years that followed, unless Ash brought it up himself. He was then met by the response that it was a load of nonsense. No one could tell the future. And maybe no one could – if that had been about the future. Even now, Ash wasn't sure. But what was he supposed to classify it as? It wasn't exactly that flowery to be a prophecy. They were supposed to be long, and about how someone would become a Chosen One and save the world.

But, was it really like that? Could one person really save the world? Alone? Unaided?

"Pichupi."

Ash jumped, and looked down, Pikachu was tugging at his pant leg.

"What is it?"

"Chupi cahaa."

"Oh – it is getting misty, isn't it? We must be getting nearer to the waterfall then I thought."

Faintly, now that he tried, he could hear the faint roar of the approaching waterfall. Mist was starting to drift around the air in the part of the forest he and Pikachu were in. It was a little difficult to see, but not terribly. Still, there was something about the faint haze that made him feel uneasy.

He turned away from the river, deciding to go a little farther away from the path, so the mist wouldn't be so thick. The bushes and vegetation were becoming greener, he noticed, as he headed to the left. Pikachu himself seemed rather fascinated in the rather abrupt change of vegetation, as well as relieved with the dissipating mist. The mist was lightly spread, around the patch of forest they were in, and it wasn't incredibly difficult to see ahead or above. This was much better.

"Low!"

"Kahchupi!"

The royal blue colored shape that had caught their attention, was drifting just a little ways above the treetops, and could be hazily seen through the thin mist near the top. The blue shape dived down through the opening in the trees, and after doing a show-off corkscrew, landed on a low tree branch, just at Ash's eyelevel. It was Swellow again.

"You bring something for me?"

"Swell."

Proudly, the bird lifted his yellow leg, and Ash gratefully took the letter tied on, and read it aloud.

_Thanks for the directions. We should be able to find where you are - if not, I can send Rose to scout ahead. And we finally picked up the gift today - Gary still hasn't stopped laughing. Anyway, we're already on our way to Serenity Forest, and we should be there tomorrow afternoon – or earlier if we can help it. I don't know why I'm mentioning this, but Kyra has been acting very uneasy today –_

Ash paused. _Kyra? What was Kyra again? _Ah, yes. Kyra was Richie's Ralts. Awfully shy as he recalled, and he doubted anyone could find a Pokemon with a sweeter disposition. She seemed exactly like Richie sometimes when she actually fond the courage to stand out. He wouldn't mind seeing her again. He shook his head, interrupting his train of thought, and continued to read onward.

_- and she doesn't usually act like this. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she wouldn't answer. Not even Sparky or Happy could get her to tell them what was wrong. Gary told me that Ralts are very in tune with things going on around them – they can sense things we can't. Listen, why I'm telling you this, I don't know. But be careful. I know you're bound to do reckless things, and Gary agrees with me. _

Great, another two people telling him to be careful, just what he needed. Nevertheless, the coincidences seemed so uncanny.

"Maybe we should head back after this," Ash said, more to himself then to Swellow and Pikachu, whose attention was solely focused on him, as he was to the letter.

_But anyway, she still was eager to set off to where you and the others are. I can't wait to see the look on everybody's faces when we show up. I doubt anyone will ever forget tomorrow. It's definitely going to be a day to remember. _

_Take care, Ash,_

_--Richie_

Ash smiled faintly, folding up the letter into his pocket, and he breathed a sign of relief. Everything would turn out fine. He had everything planned, and he could see everything in his mind's eye. Richie and Gary walking down the path over to where Brock was cooking, and Misty be so surprised – especially when he found out what he had gotten her. That look of surprise and incredulity on her face – he could picture that. Then everything would be forgotten – all the dreams, the fear, they'd be gone from him and her, and everything would be all right.

"Yennn!"

A sudden, guttural bark, and a black furred form burst out of the bushes to the side of them, jaws wide and gaping. Ash spun around, fear and adrenaline pumping through his veins, and his hand automatically reached for Pokeball that were not there. Pikachu's reaction was like that of his trainer's, electricity sparking automatically through his cheeks. Both he and Pikachu jumped back, as the Pokemon between them, giving them no time to react. Swellow had already lifted himself off the tree branch, but he was not fast enough to escape the gleaming fangs that rose up to meet him. Two cries rang simultaneously out through the air then; one voice full of triumph, one of forlorn pain, shattering the peaceful tranquility of the forest like a knife. Then, there was silence . . .

----

Reviewer Replies:

**Misaki-cherry: **Thanks for your review. And don't worry, I won't quit.

**sapphireplusle:** So that's what you think, eh? Houndour, Houndoom, and Mightyena are awesome, indeed. Is it one of those? Maybe, maybe not. You'll see. I should have said that to the Absol guessers, as, realistically, that Pokemon dang well fits the bill better then any other, really. But as cool as he is (and how tempted I was to make the 4th an Absol) I couldn't. But were there a choice, it would have been him, and I was tempted to make him an Absol after the reviews even more. But even so; it's a no.

**happyham:** We'll see what I can do. I can tell you that most likely ( I saw most likely because I often change some of my ideas threw the story) all the legendaries will show up some time or another in this story. Though their roles will differ considerably.

**Hazy Aurora**: Thanks for your review. Good luck on your story.

**Blood Vampire:** Espeon will appear sometime in this fic. Can't say when.

**Ri2:** Rose is Richie's Tailow. (He has it in the show, too) if you wanted to know. And the story between Totodile and Quilava? I'll have to write it sometime. You'll see what the present is soon. You could probably guess it though.

**Act:** Thanks. And Hey, it's no problem. Afeared is a very strange word indeed.

**Ash Ketchum, Pokemon Master:** Absol is a normal Pokemon in this. I was tempted to make him the fourth though. He's awesome to the end. A movie with Absol? I expect there is one.. I haven't seen any of the new movies beyond the 5th. Will Psyduck evolve? Some time or another I suppose, maybe or maybe not in my story, but its my opinon that he'll still act the same way. Just be in a cooler body. And I also agree with your Gender opinion on the legendaries, mostly anyway. I can see Ho-oh being a male or a female. And Mewtwo, yeah, a clone, but of a different kind. To me, he seems more of a man-made species using the DNA of mew, just like how Porygon 1 & 2 are.

Although, in Red, Yellow, and Blue, I believe it states that Mewtwo was not created exactly the way the Anime presents it. It stated that "Mew gave birth to a Pokemon, and they called it Mewtwo", if memory serves me right.

You guessed about the Feebas? Good for you. And I'm glad you liked the dream sequence, and I beg to differ, the pictures I've seen on Absol's eyes, they /are/ red. I suppose they could be dark blue on some, too.

**Danoh1989:** Yeah, Charizard will probably make an appearance sometime or another, but I only have a rough outline of this story scetched, so only time will tell.

**Nuclear Kitty**: Yeah, it would be cool. But I still expect he'd flirt with nearly every girl he sees. He's just. . . Brock.

**Alex Warlorn:** Yes, I agree about the dub name. But I didn't use it in this story at the moment for a reason, even though I do prefer Ashura. You'll see why soon enough. Yes, fan based Pokemon can be trouble. And usually are, unless there's some good explanation for it. I've read some who've managed to pull it off, not many. I prefer /not/ creating fan Pokemon for fanfiction – especially when dealing with the anime crew. I also hate to make up Original Characters to travel with them – that just plan bugs me. Ah, the third movie. That was definitely one of the best, although I'm still attached to 2000. But all of them were pretty good, and had their merits. And Funny you should mention Missingno, very, very ironic. Incredibly – an no, it's not the Apathy of Shadow before you ask. But that computer glitch has always aroused my curiosity. Weird.. block thing.

The Idiot Troup? I'm sure you mean Jessie James, and Meowth. Indeed, they are the Idiot crew. At first, I could stand them.. but after awhile they (especially their dang motto) got on my nerves. I dislike them – at least, in the show way. I believe they could become great characters if the weren't so dopy, or a fanfiction writer actually took the time to write them well, and get rid of their motto. They make horrible bad guys.

And I think we Misty fans have been cheated. It's one of the reasons I disliked May coming in. I mean, they kept Brock, I thought they were going to get rid of him, too. Why not keep Misty, too. Grr.. she had better make a full return. And I agree with your views about Absol. They fascinate me to no end. They do have a purpose in this story, but sadly, are not the Apathy of Shadow. (There's so many of them) in any case. I personally believe that Legendaries should be one of a kind, or they're not that... legendary.) And yes, I know they had the two Lugia in those episodes.. but really, I'm disregarding them, as cool of episodes as they were.

And yes, the joke. I went and added one in. Stupid me for not noticing that. I've always thought Togepi to be a male. I dunno why. It was just so cute an innocent.. and I dubbed it a he. Eevee's parents? Brock only got it as the egg for winning the contest, so the parents are unknown.

And Gary, not a jackass, no definitely not. Cocky, yes, but that's his personality. I personally love his character, and admire him a lot, as cocky as he acts. And he always has, even when he and Ash were little (as seen in the Gary vs. Ash Johto episodes). So I believe in an Ash/Gary friendship, even if they may not always seem like it. They're rivals after all. They hold a unique kind of friendship, IMO. And no problem, you didn't hurt my feelings at least, you were truthful, and when I thought about it, I changed this story to fit how it was. It made better sense that way. And it really didn't affect what happened in this chapter much.

Celebi? Yes, she could have easily been the one. But Ho-oh, a representation of the Phoenix here (as kind of is Moltres) has the ability to revive, as seen in the Crystal/Silver/Gold legend of reincarnating the Pokemon into the legendary beasts. Thus, she brang them back to life. Not to mention she has the Sacred Ash item, too. So it made sense she'd be able to bring things back to life. Though Celebi has an alike ability, though not /quite/ the same. And where did Ash's dad get the locket from? You'll see. And sorry if the reply was too long.

----

A/N: I hope you found this satisfactory, but wether you did, or not, please review. I'd love to here from you. Tell me what you likes/didn't, any mistakes you saw, whatever! And fear not, all those who don't have a account, I take anonymous reviews. Next chapter will probably be out around Wed. or Thurs. next week. Until then.

--Persian Mistress


	4. Chapter 4: River of Decision

Disclaimer: -writes on chalkboard- I don't own Pokemon; I don't own their characters. That good enough?

** With the Wind at My Back**

By: Saffire Persian

Part 1: The Ties that Bind

"_Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart." – Lynda Berry_

Chapter 4: River of Decision

_ "And see the rivers how they run__  
Through woods and meads, in shade and sun,  
__Sometimes swift, sometimes slow,__  
Wave succeeding wave, they go__  
A various journey to the deep,  
Like human life to endless sleep!"_

It all had happened so fast – so fast Ash could almost believe it was some mixed up dream. He had not been expecting a black canine creature to jump out at him out of the nearby bushes. But it happened, and Ash was half in shock as the black dog barreling forward, with a strange substance dripping of his fangs. Swellow had not been fast enough to escape the crushing teeth of the creature, and cried out in pain as the teeth tore deep into his wing, and pulled him downwards. Wounded, the Swellow couldn't even fly away as the canine teasingly let him go for a few seconds, before enveloping his blue body into his bone-crushing jaws again.

Ash, though in shock, did not stop to ponder to give Pikachu orders. This was not like the times when Team Rocket to capture his Pokemon, when he could blatantly order a Thunderbolt or Flamethrower with plenty of time to think. This was different – and the difference could indefinitely be between life and death.

The canine, prey captured, ran headlong into the bushes, and they went after it. The dog was swift, bolting through bush, and over tree longs. Pikachu jumped over a fallen log, quickly gaining on the canine, his cheeks were sparking in anger, and the dog growled in response, streaking to the left.

"Give him back!" yelled Ash, stumbling slightly as he moved over the log. "He didn't do anything to you."

"Pi. Caaah, kacpi!"

_If only Pikachu could use his Thunderbolt, _thought Ash, glumly.

But the problem was, he couldn't. He'd hit Swellow if he did so. And neither Ash nor Pikachu would dare to injure their friend anymore then he already was. Ash could see Swellow feebly trying to fight and escape the dog's grip, but each attack was weaker then the next, and Ash could only wonder if there was more to the Swellow's injury then he saw.

The mist was growing thick, and it was starting to get incredibly hazy, and hard to see. And Ash stumbled over a tree root, and fell hard onto the ground. The sound of the river was close, and he could hear what he guessed to be the roar of the waterfall up ahead.

Pikachu, hearing his fall, slowed, looking back at him and shouting, and he could see the torn look in the rodent's eyes, as Ash moved to get up. Pikachu didn't want to leave him, but he didn't want to leave Swellow to his captor either.

"Catch up with him, I don't care what you have to do. I'll be fine, I'll catch up."

Pikachu nodded, and with a fast burst of speed, raced ahead. Ash didn't need to hold Pikachu back anymore, he could easily hold his own in battle, any trained Pokemon could. Ash stood up, and felt pain surge through his leg. He put his weight down on it, and breathed a sigh of relief – it wasn't broken, but it still hurt.

But that mattered little to Ash, and he began to run again, trying to ignore the sharp, throbbing pain in his ankle. Ash mentally cursed himself as he ran. If only he had been smart enough to bring other Pokemon along with him. He was so stupid – and because of his carelessness, Swellow could be . . .

No, Swellow would be fine. Everything would be fine. Tomorrow would still be a great day. Everything would be fine. _Everything would be fine . . ._

_

* * *

_

I darted through a thick cluster of bushes, gaining on the Pokemon I knew to be called a Mightyena. I shouted at Kalani, hoping desperately to hear the bird answer. He didn't so much as twitch, and a feeling of dread coursed through my veins.

_He can't be dead . . ._ I mused to myself, calling upon all the agility and speed I possessed to get closer to the dog enough to attack. For Ash's sake, more then anyone's, I prayed to whatever Legendary that could hear me, that Kalani would be spared. The bird's death would break Ash's heart in two, and that alone was more then I could bear to think about.

The foliage was becoming denser, I noticed and there was moisture in the air. I could hear the roaring of the waterfall up ahead, and knew it wouldn't be long before it would become difficult to see – it was already beginning to become so. I put on a burst of speed, paws pounding down the grassy path, the river running beside me to my left.

"_Kalani!"_ I screamed out again, and I heard the Mightyena growl in amusement. Again, not so much as a twitch.

I growled in anger. If Kalani was dead, not even the great Lugia could stop me from inflicting vengeance upon the canine before me, no one could - well, except Ash, that is.

Ash would never allow vengeance to be taken upon any Pokemon, good or evil. That boy had a kinder heart then any human I had known. Too kind, some would say. But that, above all else, is why I respected him.

The dog was just inches in front of me, and I seized my chance, lunging forward. With all the energy I could muster, I Tackled the Mightyena in the side. He howled, and stumbled as it tried to regain its footing, toppling onto his side. However, it still refused to release Kalani from his jaws.

"Let him go . . ." I growled, electricity sparking from my cheeks in warning, the river at my back.

The dog growled in reply. He knew just as well as I that speech could cost him the loss of his prey. The Mightyena rolled, standing upon his legs again, fixing him with a stare from his blood-red eyes that made Pikachu shrink back despite himself. But the fear did not last long, and I sprang toward him. But the Mightyena was ready this time, and moved neatly out of the way. I cried aloud in frustration – if that Mightyena hadn't had Kalani in his jaws, I could be a little bolder in my attack.

The great dog grinned in his own savage way, before letting loose a loud (though muffled) howl. It froze my blood, but it seemed to invigorate the dog further. Electricity began to spark from my cheeks as anger and helplessness at what to do. Loud sounds of pursuit were coming to our left, and both the Mightyena and I turned. A body flew through the bushes, and I recognized it immediately. _Ash! _

I didn't know whether to be happy or frightened at his appearance, but nevertheless, he managed to hit the dog with more force then I did – and he took the dog by surprise, too, making it release Kalani before hitting the turf. I bet the Mightyena never expected a _human _to fight him.

Of course, I knew the attack was foolish on my companion's part. While intelligence humans had, strength to beat most Pokemon they did not have. I cried out to him to get out of the way and let me finish the work – of course, Ash never did quite listen to me, or anyone for that matter. He scrambled off the dog, and automatically reached towards Kalani, shock written upon his features as he noticed how still the form of the Swallow was. He had barely enough time to scoop up the bird into his arms when the dog, and I lunged.

Ash tried hard to defend himself from the oncoming attack from the very angry Mightyena, but with Kalani in his arms, all he could do really was stumble backwards and try to evade. I was already moving with a Quick Attack to come to his aid, but before I could hit the dog, it's fangs had already torn into the flesh of Ash's arm, and he cried out in pain, and the deep wound began to bleed.

I growled in rage as made contact with the dog's shoulder, and felt a deep pain of regret as the fangs were ripped away from Ash's arm, causing him pain, and tearing off his Jacket. But it had to be done.

Ash's Pokedex clattered to the ground, sparking as it landed hard on the rock, and Dexter's voice, static sounding and a bit blurred, spoke out, a picture of the black dog appeared.

'Mightyena, a Dark Type Pokemon. Mightyena travel and act as a pack in the wild. Mightyena gives obvious signals when it is preparing to attack. It starts to growl deeply and then flattens its body. This Pokemon will bite savagely with its sharply pointed fangs.'

Power surged outward from my body in the form of yellow electricity, and the dog howled long and loud, and was stumbling in his place as soon as the Thunderbolt attack had weakened.

Another howl, not from this Mightyena, but another, answered, and I cursed myself mentally. _Why must they travel in packs! _

I could handle one of these stupid canines without much trouble, but with two I would have a slight disadvantage.

"_Ash, get out of here! I can handle it!" _I yelled.

This time, it was Ash's gaze that was torn. I knew he didn't want to leave me, just as much as I wouldn't want to leave him. I dashed to the right as the Mightyena opened its pulsing black jaws, covered in Dark energy. Another stream of electricity crackled through my body, and the dog was covered in the faint, yellow light as I attacked. I glared at Ash. Why was he still standing there? He had to leave, the other Mightyena would . . . I paused, Ash was growing pale and wobbling on his two feet; and it couldn't be from the blood he was losing from his arm. He wouldn't grow pale as quickly as this . . .

With me distracted, it was only a few moments before I went skidding across the ground, thanks to a Take Down. However, Mightyena's attack was not without retribution. The muscles in the Mightyena's body stiffened, and he growled at the realization that the miniscule electric pulses surrounded my body had rendered him temporarily paralyzed. He wouldn't be able to move so fast now that the tiny electric pulses had taken effect.

Another Mightyena, this one a female, no doubt this one's mate, ran out of the nearby bushes moments later. She snarled, and immediately spotted Ash, Kalani, and me in a matter of moments. She wasted no time in attacking, and immediately aimed for Ash, pushing his body backwards with a hard Tackle to the chest, and onto the hard ground. Kalani's body went flying out of Ash' arms, landing a few inches away. Had the bird be thrown any farther, he would have been in the river.

This upset Ash more then anything, and he struggled to get away from the sharp teeth that were ready not to maim, but kill. Ash was trying to fend off the large dog as well as he was able, and I was trying to make my way over to him as quick as I could, but the other Mightyena still pursued his attack. I spun around to face the dog, electricity struck him again, and he howled in rage in pain. The attack ended, and I was surprised the Mightyena hadn't collapsed yet. The dog growled, and his fur began to flatten as he made to attack, but instead he stiffened: the full paralysis had kicked in for a short time; luck was on my side for a few moments at least. I then turned, and dashed towards Ash, but a weak battle cry stopped me in my tracks.

Kalani was fluttering inches off the ground on unsteady wings. He was in no shape to fight, or move for that matter. His elegant royal plumage was stained with blood, but Kalani had a determined look in his eyes, and the same love in them that I possessed for Ash, shown.

The will to live, I had been often told, was a force stronger then anything in the world.

Kalani flapped his wings, pushing himself up and backwards a few feet. Kalani closed his eyes in concentration and he was surrounded by a dark blue glow. Kalani's movements became steady, and he finally opened his eyes, the blue light dissipating. Then, using all the energy that he possessed, slam into the Mightyena with an Aerial Ace.

Not even I, and much less the Mightyena, had expected such a fierce attack from a bird in his visible condition. The force of the attack knocked the Mightyena backwards, making her lose her footing, and tumble into the fast flowing river. She was followed, seconds later, by Kalani, having overshot the distance he would travel when the Aerial Ace struck, and drained of his energy, he could fly no longer, and plummeted into the river.

Ash ran passed me, shouting aloud the bird's name, and I tried to stop him from doing what I knew he was going to do, but it was already too late: he had jumped into the river. He started swimming toward the bird, though it was hardly necessary, the current was taking him to the Kalani.

"_Ash!" _I shouted, immediately, dashing after them along the shore bank. The Mightyena, too, was fighting the current, paddling with her powerful paws to the opposite bank, and I saw with great disappointment she managed to scramble onto the nearby bank. I shook my head. Why did the enemy always manage to escape? The male Mightyena intercepted my path as I continued running. I was forced to stop, and I glared at him.

"_Get out of my way!"_ I yelled, cheeks sparking in warning. I had no desire to waste what energy remained in me on him. Of course, telling this to a Mightyena whose mate has been swept away in the river's current was like telling me to stay where I was. And, as I expected, he lunged, but I was ready. Jumping high into the air, I spun around, tail glowing with a silvery white light . . . _Iron Tail_

I suppose the sight of a mouse Pokemon assuming a "kung-fu" stance, as Ash called it, would have struck most passers by as slightly comical, were it not for the gravity of the situation – but nevertheless, my Iron Tail connected with the Mightyena's lower jaw, and I heard a satisfying crack along with a body crumpling to the ground.

With my feet planted firmly on the ground again, I wasted no time in pursuing the river, trying to ignore the mist as it became thicker. My body began to tense – not just from the feeling of exhaustion that was starting to come over me. Something . . . _different _was here. It's like the feeling some people get when they feel like they're being watched. But whatever it was that was here was the least of my concern, and ignoring my protesting body, I ran faster through the foliage, finally spotting Ash trying to keep his head above the water, trying to reach for the floundering Kalani. It still amazed me the bird was even conscious.

_How am I supposed to help them? _I thought, trying to think of a way, any way, to save the both of them from a watery death or injury. But what could a small mouse like me do?

I sighed. _If only they had a Pokeball to contain humans._ Well, there was nothing for it. Breathing in deeply, holding my breath, I plunged into the river,

The first thing that I noticed was the water was chilly – very cold in fact, and I surfaced a few seconds later, carried quickly down the river by the current. I wasn't completely helpless when it came to swimming, and it wasn't long before I was just behind Ash, I called out to him, and he looked surprised.

Kalani was clutched protectively in the boy's arms, unconscious, while Ash didn't look too well himself. I was pushed under the water again, and had to fight hard to emerge at the surface again, taking a few deep gulps of air before speaking.

"_Ash, use the Pokeball, recall him! _

He understood my message, and his hands moved automatically to his belt where two Pokeballs rested. With a flash of red light, Kalani was recalled into the red and white orb. We both sighed in relief. I could hear Ash mumbling to himself, trying to make sense of the scenery around him, and keep afloat at the same time. No doubt he was trying to think of some way to get out of this – and he always seemed to think of one just in time.

_Just in time . . ._ Only at the end of the thought did I realize, at the sound of a pounding roar, of what exactly was ahead of us, if we continued this adventure downriver. I had forgotten about the waterfall, at the realization, I began to panic, madly trying to swim upstream, only to be rejected, and pushed back farther then I had been. Ash's eyes showed concern as they looked at me, still looking resolute as they had been when he had jumped into the river. Holding aloft Kalani's Pokeball, he threw it toward the bank. It made impact with the safe ground, though whether Kalani dutifully emerged or not, we did not see.

It was just me and Ash now, and I was suddenly reminded of a time so very long ago when he and I had first met – when I had disliked him. We had plummeted down a waterfall that day, after he had foolishly attacked a Spearow, and angered its flock. I had been badly hurt at the time, and was fading in and out of unconsciousness when we had gone done that waterfall, and ran into Misty. My heart plummeted in my chest at the thought of her, and I wondered vaguely if Ash was thinking about her, too. _The gift . . ._ _if only we hadn't . . ._

I heard a click, and I roused myself out of the trance I was sinking in to. My heart skipped a beat. Ash was holding another pokeball – my pokeball. It hadn't been used in years, and rightly so. I held a specific dislike for them, always had. I knew Ash's intentions: he was going to recall me and in order to keep me safe. I began to protest, swallowing a mouthful of water in the process.

He shook his head, and not far in the distance, I could see the river's end, where it met the waterfall.

"I know you don't like these," he said, sounding like he was in pain, "but you have to, Buddy. I'm sorry – but someone has to break out of here, and find Swellow and make sure he's okay if I . . ." He looked down toward the ever approaching waterfall. "If I can't."

"_NO!" _I shouted, trying to futilely escape the red beam of light as it surged out of the contraption.

It was strange being recalled into the Pokeball, and was the first time I had been since we met. I had forgotten how strange it feels to be once in a physical body, into a mass of energy trapped within the Pokeball. I suppose you could say we _had_ a form, for we did still, but it was rather a _spirit _form. We were contained by an almost oppressing force, sealing our - spirit shall I say? – into the contraption.

I fought madly of course, and I could feel the orb shake with the amount of energy I was using to break the bonds that held me sealed in here. The seal was quite a bit weaker then, say, a Great Ball would have been, and that was why stronger, healthy Pokemon could so easily break the bonds at which the Pokeball held us if we so chose to – even after we were captured. And, since we were in a "spirit" form, physical limitations did not always apply – the pure strength of will and spirit, not just physical strength was used to break out of the Pokeballs. And that explained the reason why some Pokemon were able to break free of a Pokeball, even if they were physically weak. I would be lying, though, if I said that physical health and status did not play a big part, because it did.

If I had been at full health and energy it would have only taken me a few moments to break open the pokeball – and I certainly would have done so now. However, exhaustion had begun to set in the moment I began to fight with the Mightyena, and thus I was weaker. It was going to take some time to break out of the Pokeball, but not too long; I could already feel the bonds weakening – like elastic bands being cut.

I could hear the roar of the waterfall thundering in my ears, even from inside the Pokeball, and I guessed that we had reached the waterfall's end, and a few seconds later, we were probably plummeting downwards.

He had not thrown me away like he had done with Kalani, I realized, puzzled. I thought he surely would have . . .

Something hard collided with the bottom of my pokeball, and static energy flashed wildly around the inside of the sphere. It had been damaged, how bad, I couldn't quite be sure. Invigorated, I pursued my attacks on the bonds even harder, willing myself to be outside in the free air again. The final string broke, and I was free.

My physical form met with the cold water again as I emerged outward in a flash of brilliant white light. I was underwater again, but luckily, there wasn't much of a current so it was considerably easier to swim. I didn't know how far down we had been swept after we had gone down the waterfall. I was sure it couldn't be too far, because I could still hear the roar of the waterfall.

I coughed and spluttered as I broke the surface, hazy mist surrounding me. I looked around desperately for Ash, not seeing him anywhere on the surface, I couldn't see incredibly far ahead of me, anyways, with the mist and all. I took a deep breath, and dived below the water, opening my eyes to try to find Ash. I found him a few seconds later. He was trying to swim to the surface, just like I had, but instead of succeeding; he was falling towards the bottom.

I swam toward him as fast as I could. I didn't know how much longer he could last without oxygen. Blood was still flowing from his arm, I noticed, as I attempted to pull him up with my paws. Of course, I knew before I even tried that it wouldn't do anything, but I wasn't about to leave him, unaided. I couldn't let him drown here. I had to do something.

Suddenly, the water seemed to push upward at its own accord, like a large wave surging up from the bottom. Ash and I were pushed upwards by the water. I was confused. I didn't have the faintest idea what was going on. Within a few moments, we were washed up upon the shoreline by a crystalline blue wave. It broke over our heads, leaving us more soaked then before, but alive.

I let out a sigh of relief as my paws touched dry ground, breathing in the air greedily. I opened my eyes, trying to get a view of my new surroundings. The area was thick with mist, and I couldn't see very far in front of me. But that didn't matter too much, as I lay on the shore, feeling exhaustion begin to set it. It felt so good to just lie here, where it was so quiet and peaceful.

Ash began to cough, and I immediately picked myself up off the sandy bank. I ran to Ash's side, and nudged him with my nose. He groaned, and opened his eyes.

"Hey, buddy," he said, voice barely above a whisper.

I smiled, though my ears flattened as I surveyed him. He was in pain. I could tell. He began to struggle to pull himself up off the ground, but he cried out in pain and fell back. His breathing was sparse and erratic, and his body was covered in nicks and bruises, probably from the fall down the waterfall. Normally, I would have thought nothing of it. Ash got hurt more times then I could think of, but he always came out of it in a jiffy. This time, though, something was different. I remembered the Mightyena's fangs that had sunk into his arm, and ran around to his right side.

The wound was still fresh, and bleeding rather heavily. His whole arm was swollen and red, and I thought I spotted a strange tinge to the wound. I moved closer, sniffing the injury, before recoiling.

You can always tell when someone's been poisoned from a Pokemon's attack. The Poison has a faint odor to it that you can smell, especially that of Toxic. Well, if you were a Pokemon anyway, gifted with a keen nose. I shivered, noticing the purplish color around the wound. That, above any indicator told me what I feared. Ash had been poisoned, and so probably had Kalani. The Swellow had been effected by the poison quite quickly, and I couldn't help but wonder if it had occurred so fast, and had such a devastating affect on Kalani's body, what it would do to Ash's.

I moved backwards, and circled around him again, trying to keep my head strait and think of something. What was I supposed to do? It would only be a matter of time before the poison fully kicked in and . . .

I shook my head, I couldn't think like that. Ash was always positive when things like this happened – why shouldn't I?

"_Ash . . ."_I whispered, nuzzling him. I could feel tears began to emerge from my eyes. I wouldn't let him die. I would find something. There had to be some of those berries that cured poison growing in this forest. There had to be!

I began to dash off through the mist, and into the forest ahead, but I stopped, glancing back at Ash, I couldn't possibly leave him. What if the Mightyena came back? Ash couldn't possibly fight even one of them off in his condition. I continued to stare at him, and he at me, before he attempted to pick himself up again. He managed to push himself up off the ground this time, arms trembling with exertion, before he slid back onto his stomach, breathing hard.

"I have to get up . . ." I heard him mutter. His eyes were fast becoming hazy, and his speech slurred. Seeing him deteriorating before my eyes, I made my decision. I could only hope I wouldn't regret it. I wasn't helping him by just standing here doing nothing. Even if I stayed with him, and a hostile Pokemon came our way, defending him from it would only delay the poison's inevitable course. So, I had to find the antidote for it.

I strode confidently forward, but his voice held me back.

"Pikachu . . ."

Tears welled up into my eyes, even if I was doing the right thing, I didn't want to leave him. What if I couldn't find the berries in time, or didn't find them at all? I didn't want him to die – if that was indeed his fate – alone.

"_I'm sorry," _I said slowly, looking back at him, seeing that he had raised himself slightly with the help of his elbows. He was looking at me with those eyes again, and I turned my face, a sickening feeling that I was abandoning him settling there, even though I wasn't. Or was I?

"_Grrwl."_

I spun around and at the cry, and I saw a black shape approaching us through the mist. Black and shaggy, I recognized the form immediately; it was a Mightyena. I couldn't yet tell if it was the same one from the river or not, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it was.

Sparks were flying from my cheeks, as I began to summon the energy and power that was required for a Thunder attack, as big of one as I could manage in my state. I wanted to make sure I could at least knock the Mightyena out cold.

It was the same one that had attacked us before. Her fur was still soggy and wet from the river. I smiled faintly, luck again was at my side for this, brief moment. Water conducted electricity, and that meant even more damage that meant for the Mightyena. Just as I was about to unleash Thunder on the Mightyena, I froze, and my fur began to rise.

The Mightyena, too, was frozen in place, a snarl imprinted on her muzzle as her red eyes stared behind me. I turned, and I heard her rough, sandpaper voice speak out. _"Something's here . . ."_

This time, it wasn't a solid black form of Mightyena, but something different. It was large, I could immediately tell that from the shadow and black outlines, but the mist had covered up its large form, making it hard to make out any distinguishing feature.

It halted, and its outline seemed to waver, like a reflection in a rippling pool of water. I growled threateningly as it began to step closer to Ash. The Thunder attack that had been stored up in my body was set loose, and several streams of electricity that surged outward from my body ran strait towards the unknown creature.

Each bolt of electricity hit its intended target, and the beast was surrounded in the clear yellow light. It groaned, but it didn't seem incredibly worse for the wear, though the Thunder attack had taken a lot out of me.

I was about to try another electric attack, but then a loud commanding growl, a _Roar _echoed through the air. It was as loud and as impressive like the sound of rolling thunder, and a chill made its way down my spine; and in the roar was the harsh word of Command; a Command to flee and run from its presence. The Mightyena howled and ran into the woodlands without a backwards glance, and I could already feel myself unconsciously begin to attempt to run, but I fought the overwhelming urge to run, trying to concentrate and stay rooted to where I stood.

Ash had already tried to scramble up onto his feet at the sound of the Roar, but his body was incapable of executing the task, and he collapsed back onto the ground. He, too, was driven by the same desire to run as I was, and something inside me hoped he would get up, and run away into the distance with me. His eyes then locked on with mine, and a single sentence that I was sure would trouble me for the rest of my life was uttered.

"Run, Pikachu! Get away – make sure Swellow's . . . all right. Don't worry about me! Run! Now!"

With Ash's command, coupled with another loud Roar that rattled the air, my legs finally obeyed, and I ran as fast and furious as I could, away from the terrible call, and from Ash. Tears streamed down my face as I dashed onwards. In my mind, I was calling myself a coward to be so easily cowed into running away into the forest.

With every step I took, the mist began to lift a little more, and I became more aware of the foresty surroundings. But I did not recognize this path of forest, and I wished that I had at least thought of which direction to run to. But I had not; all that had been on my mind was to run. I shivered as I remembered the haunting call, that Command that had resonated from that cry was driving me to run farther then any Roar that I had yet come against. What ever it had been, it had to be powerful.

I did not know how long I had ran before I forced myself to skid to a stop. I had to go back. I couldn't leave Ash to face that beast alone, but the poison was still flowing through his body, and I had nothing to cure it. I would have to look for the berry before I could return, even if I was met by a sight that could not be helped.

I dived through the nearest patch of bushes, searching relentlessly for the peach colored berry I so desired. Tiredness was once again seeping through my limbs, replacing the adrenaline that had once coursed through my body, giving me strength. And I was greatly tempted to stop curl up where I was, and sleep. But I continued to search the bushes as I headed back down the path where I felt I should be; where I needed to be.

My eyesight was getting glazed and hazy before I found what I believed to be a Pecha berry. Ecstatic, I grabbed a branch of it in my jaws, pulling it free from the bush. More berries of different kinds were also growing down the bush, and I could not resist grabbing a few of the other berries nearby, and stuffing them into my mouth. Only a few minutes after I had devoured them, and set upon the path the mist appeared again, this time so thick and voluminous I could barely see a foot in front of me. I stumbled over a large tree root, soon afterwards. My vision immediately began to swim before my eyes, a wave of dizziness surged through me, and before I knew it, everything went black.

A/n: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The First-Person POV with Pikachu was rather unexpected; I had not planned it. And I don't know whether I should have done it that way or not. So, feedback on that would be appreciated.

And also note I'm making a few assumptions, as in Swellow's name. I would not expect Pokemon to call each other by their species name, so I made Swellow' up. And the whole pokeball thing is pure speculation, and is what I believe. The "Command" thing with Roar – just a weird little thing that came to my mind while writing this.

Oh, and in case you're curious on how Ash and Swellow got poisoned from the Mightyena, it's because of the move Poison Fang – while it can't be learned by leveling up, it is a breeding move. And I just had to take advantage of it.

Anyways, please review! I appreciate your feedback, no matter who you are. So if you're reading this and haven't reviewed yet, I'd love to hear from ya. Now onto reviewer replies.

Replies:

Jass Strawberry; Thanks. Yeah, "men in black" does make you think of the MIB. –Snickers- Anyway, we all have a fascination with Eevee, I know I do! It's such an awesome Pokemon. Although I can't really tell what it's evolutions are supposed to be exactly, since they're very fox-like, cat-like, and dog-like. Although I'm a firm believer Espeon is a cat – of course, this can be argued.

Sakura Moon: Thanks. Sorry if I updated too late.

Clara200: Umm, thanks for your review. And yeah, Absol are a little strange.

xSPiNx: Thanks for your input! I appreciate it. And, as you probably guessed, thing's aren't going to really turn out as planned.

Dark Fenikusu: Thanks for your.. correction. And I just made an error in writing down the verse, it's not 1st Peter, but Second Peter.

Misaki Cherry: Thanks for your support!

Alex Warlorn: First, can I say thank you for your great reviews? And yeah, the old chapter one, was split into two, thus chapter two was made. And changes were made, as in, stuff was added in, not a ton, I admit. But the changes that were made were stated at in chapter two. And April? You'll probably never see her in this story – she was just a character I made up to fit into the events.

Agatha is Gary's grandmother? XD I seriously didn't know that.. heh. Well, I suppose the scene would make even more sense with her as Gary's Grandma now that I think about it. But that's quite a revelation. And I agree with you, Sabrina is very far from a fake. I meant the other "psychics" that do "tarot readings" and so forth.

Ri2: To you, I apologize. I've read both of your new chapters (Go Persian!), but I haven't yet reviewed them, but I will very soon, you have my word on that. And yes, Richie has a Taillow, and it isn't made up, like Ralts is, but is in the anime. And, I dunno if I would even call it a Prophecy exactly, I'm still not sure what to call Agatha's little blab myself. Maybe a word of advice? Heh. And interesting guess, but like Brock stated, Absol don't' come out where they live for just anything.

Dannichu: The eons –grins- those little beasties hold a special place in my heart, and I'm sure you see the pattern, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to say yes, you will see all the Eons in this fic, in some form or another,

Hazy Aurora: As you can see, so far, Swellow's not dead. And will Suicune come soon... I think you can pretty much know the answer to that without me having to tell you.

Sapphire Plusle: Thanks for your review.


	5. Chapter 5: Choices and Chances

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon; I don't own anything! … except this plot… and yeahh . . . -walks off-

**A/n**: Sorry for the really, really, really, late update.. I hope those of you old reviewers still enjoy, and new readers, welcome. As always, reviews are most definitely appreciated. And I apologize for the abrupt POV switch last chapter.. ate my separator.

**With the Wind at My Back**

By: Saffire Persian

Part 1: The Ties that Bind

_"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart." – Lynda Be_rry

Chapter 5: Choices and Chances

"_It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny." –Jean Nidetch_

_010101010 _

"Looks like the mist's finally lifting."

"Humph," said a Gary Oak in a haughty toned voice. "About time. I was starting to think we might have been stuck here, wandering in circles like a bunch of idiots. I knew there would be mist, but nothing like that. Heh. We're probably going to be late."

"I know. Ash is going to kill me." The boy beside him smiled humorously, his eyes sparkling. No doubt he was trying to make him laugh, but Gary showed no sign of it. Not even a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

This was the usual behavior of the seventeen year old. Gary Oak had not changed much over the years, and he knew it. He still retained his looks, which had only gotten better in his opinion, judging by the amount of fan mail he sometimes got from a wide variety of girls that he could care less about. He never did write back.

His companion seemed to have faired the same, his brown hair wavy, with the same idiotic hat he had always worn_. Like Ash,_ Gary snorted. The two were alike in more ways then was comfortable for him.

"Ashy-boy? I doubt it." Gary snorted, shaking his head. The mere thought of Ash attempting to do such a thing amused him. He was probably having a fit right now. "He'll probably be on his knees, thanking us for even showing up."

Gary moved towards the girl – Misty's – birthday present, wheeling it toward a trail that he could make out, as the mist lifted, as fast and suddenly as it had come. Odd, that was. It had come upon them in mere moments, blanketing them in a thick cloud, until it had been hard to even see a few inches ahead of them.

"Ash isn't that kind of person," Richie pointed out, fixing the cap situated on his head, while his Pokemon, Sparky, did the same, with a rather large tuft of yellow fur. The Pikachu emitted an amused growl as a small Pokemon, a Ralts, attempted to mimic her Trainers movements, nearly toppling over. Sparky shook his head, attempting to help the tiny Psychic type up, before darting forward up the brown path, ears twitching, with the Ralts hesitantly following.

Gary eyed the small Ralts. "Heh."

"He _isn't," _Richie stressed.

Gary waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah."

Though, Gary had found himself doubting his original thoughts concerning Ash, he never easily admit it, or accept it. Even against the bits of proof that had come his way – such as how, it the last League, it was Ash, not himself, who had emerged triumphant. Even Gary had to admit that it had been a stunning battle; he had not been expecting his 'rivals' tactics. That had impressed him.

Gary brushed back a strand of brown hair. "Heh. All right, he's not _that _bad. Still, Ashy-boy has a long ways to go."

Richie didn't say anything in response, his eyes widening. "Kyra!"

Gary's head snapped back to the trail, where Kyra was scuttling down the trail as fast as she could, nearly tripping numerous times. She ran into Richie's outstretched arms, shuddering in obvious distress and fear. But Gary couldn't see anything up ahead, except for the confused electric rat.

Gary rolled his eyes at the display, not sure whether to be disgusted, or otherwise. "Never in my life . . ."

"Something's scaring her."

Gary snorted. "From the way she's been acting lately? She's probably just scared of her own shadow."

Ritchie said nothing in retaliation, trying to soothe the small Pokemon as she trembled. He was trying to sound reassuring, but in Gary's opinion he failed miserably. "It'll be all right you'll see . . ."

Gary bit back a stinging insult, eyeing the Ralts with concealed disgust. It looked up at him, or at least he assumed so, as the Pokemon inclined her head. Upon doing so, she squeaked, burying her head deeper into her trainer's chest. Gary rolled his eyes, wondering if the creature had sensed his disgust at her weak display.

Gary knew Ralts were very in tune to the atmosphere, and to the emotions of people. However, they were too overly sensitive and cautious, then to his liking, with small bodies that could be easily torn apart by roving creatures, even if they possessed impressive Psychic abilities. Ones that Gary had to admit, impressed and interested him. But his interest had nothing more than that. He grabbed the bike's handles again, setting off at a brisk pace without hesitation. Richie looked surprised.

"We're going to be later then we already are if you're going to stand and comfort that _thing_ all day."

Richie stared back at him coldly, and for the first time. Gary did not wince, or shy away at the frosty glare. He just shrugged in a non-committed fashion that Gary hoped conveyed that he could care less, and continued. Richie, too, began to walk, with the Pikachu falling in step, his eyes bright and alert, and his ears pricked up.

Almost as if he was listening for something . . .

_Naa . . ._

"_Pichau…?"_

Gary all but listened too the rodent's mumbles, focused on the trail ahead. Richie, however, was giving the electric Pokemon a rather thoughtful look, and muttered something along the lines of: 'Something wrong, Sparky?', at which the mouse replied. Even the Ralts raised her head, and muttered something so quiet that it was nearly impossible to hear.

"PIKAHPI!"

Gary halted at the loud cry. But it sounded some distance away, and didn't carry Richie's Pikachu's gravelly tone of voice. Gary glanced skeptically down at Sparky, who had jumped to the very appearance of alertness, looking confused. He blinked, but a smile slowly came to his face.

"_Pikka! Chu pika, Piiii!"_

Richie posed the question that Gary would never have asked. "Who is it, Sparky?"

The Pikachu grinned back. "_Pikchaiu_!" He then turned back in the direction of the voice, shouting, and waving his little paws. _"Kahh! Chu kahh!"_

Richie seemed to understand. "It's Ash's Pikachu, I think . . . and wherever Pikachu is, Ash'll be."

Gary's eyebrows rose at this, and he tried not to look the least bit surprised. So . . . Ash had gotten impatient and started looking for them, then? Figures. He never stopped to think things through. He was probably in a panic, wondering where Misty's gift was.

"PIKAHPI! PIKACHU! PIKKKAHHPI!"

The bushes rustled, and the familiar looking Pikachu darted out of the bushes a few feet in front of them, a strange piece berry-attached foliage clutched tightly in its paws as he hobbled out onto the trail, in a wobbly short of way. Its hollow black eyes were staring strait at them. But a distant, hazy look was all they contained – not a familiar light of recognition; it was almost like they weren't there, or something that did not deserve to be noticed.

"_Pikchiu_!" Sparky dashed forward along the trail, as fast as he could on his two feet, while waving his forepaws in the air.

But Pikachu did not hear him. Instead, the thunder mouse turned its back upon them, moving steadily along the path, yelling aloud its dronish cry. "PIKAPI!"

"_Cha_!"

Sparky was in front of Pikachu in a matter of moments, speaking hastily, and moving his arms in a kind of mime, trying to get Pikachu's attention. But still, Pikachu plodded on.

"That thing's out of it. It can't be Ash's Pikachu. Even he's trained it better than that."

"It's Ash's Pikachu," Richie stated firmly. "I know it is."

Gary retorted. "Like it'd go anywhere without Ash."

Eyes widening, Richie replied in a near whisper. "You're right . . ."

Gary smirked. "Of course I'm –"

Richie cut him off, rushing up the path, Kyra clutched tightly in his arms. Gary stared after him, a mixture of amazement and disbelief etched on his handsome features. Gary sighed, muttering something under his breath. Seeing as Richie wouldn't be deterred from the pursuit of the electric rodent, was now gazing at both Sparky and Richie with hazy black irises.

Gary was wheeling the bike slowly, seeing no reason not to take his time, as both Pokemon and Human seemed to be engrossed in trying to bring Pikachu back to its senses – if it really was who they claimed it to be. Gary's gaze lingered over the branch held tightly in the Pikachu's grasp. It took only a moment for Gary to recognize the orange colored fruit: an Iapapa berry.

Gary grew immediately wary and alert. He knew exactly the berry was known to possess: it had healing properties, but also contained the potential to confuse. Which in itself, could be very deadly. And that would account for the Pikachu's dazed look. … Well, if the Pikachu had eaten a lot of it, anyways.

"Where's Ash?"

No response.

"Where's Ash?" Richie said again, enunciating every word, as if Pikachu were a child. Pikachu didn't respond, too focused in its own dream world. It was still chanting the same word, whatever it was, over and over in the same emotionless tone. Sparky looked more confused than ever, while Kyra had actually turned her head to examine the Pikachu.

She closed her eyes, and a tiny wisp of purple energy emerging from the purple aura surrounding her. Hesitant at first, the tiny string of energy departed from its host, gaining energy as it went. Like a firefly, it hovered in the air, swirling around, as if trying to gain courage for its next endeavor. Then, Kyra's eyes snapped open, and the minute-sized bolt of purple energy shot through the air, coming in contact with Pikachu's body. It fizzled and writhed upon contact. The Pikachu gave a startled cry, dropping the berry immediately. It swayed, though a small glimmer of conscious though appeared on its features.

"_Pikapi_?"

Sparky seemed to sense the change in his friend's demeanor, moving forward, a smile replacing the confused look. He shook his head. "Pika."

Pikachu stared, and swayed. Fright quickly replaced the hopeful light, and the electric type looked widely over his shoulder, spinning around like a dancer looking for its partner, only to find that partner has gone, or merely was never there in the first place. Again, Pikachu called the same word aloud, and Gary had an inkling of thought: that repeated word had been that of a name. _Ash._

"What happened? Where is Ash?" Richie tried again, and the mention of Ash's name, Pikachu's head jerked mechanically upward. But whatever he hoped to see was dashed. Looking even more stressed them before, Pikachu dashed away, having paused only to pick up the branch in his teeth.

Immediately, Richie and Sparky followed, leaving Gary behind.

"Hey!"

He glared down at the bike, as if it was the perfect object to take out his annoyance. Gary debated the options of following and not, but a enraged squeak, and a yellow surge of energy quickly changed his mind.

"Oh hell, why not?" Throwing the red bike carelessly aside, Gary pursued.

* * *

It was strange, being alone now. And yet, Ashton Ketchum was strangely relieved. His vision was already becoming blurry, and it hurt to breathe. And the strange, mist covered figure was still in front of him, little but a sapphire blur. It was stepping forward, and he could see a pair of sharp ruby eyes, boring into him. 

He tried to concentrate. What was it? He was sure he had seen this . . . this creature before. Ash forced himself to move, his legs gathering beneath him in a meager attempt to stand. But the movements were futile, and he knew it. The creature was in front of him now, and, vision lurching, he slumped back to the sand, now covered with his own dark blood. It was steadily forming small puddles around him, as the blood had begun to soak through his torn black shirt and jacket, thanks to the sharp rocks that had lain waiting for him at the bottom of the waterfall.

His vision darkened, before refocusing again, and he felt himself being lifted, gently, like that of a great mountain cat lifting a tiny, newborn cub in its jaws. He was so out of it, he didn't even realize that his jacket was torn off his back, and the animal had somehow shifted him onto its back. Its legs were beginning to move, slowly at first. Quite suddenly, the creature jerked forward and burst into a run.

Ash cried out in pain from the hard, jarring movement. He gasped for breath, as his chest burst with a new pain – like a knife plunging into his lungs, only to withdraw, and prepare to stab again. The coppery taste of blood rose into his mouth, and he coughed. He felt the beast's body shift, and if his vision wasn't blurring in and out, he perhaps would've distinguished the look of concern upon the unknown thing's features. But the beast seemed to understand, or guess, and every moment became smoother. Like water. Droplets of moisture suddenly splashed on his face, and he could, out of the corner of his eye, make sparkling, cerulean terrain beneath him.

It was walking on water.

Surprise filled him for an instant, curiosity instilling in his brain, and he rasped: "What…are…you?"

No word was heard, but he fancied he heard the animal answer.

_A . . . -_ it seemed to hesitate - _. . .friend._

He looked down into the water at this. The fact that maybe he should have answered, and asked what was happening, escaped him. Memories seemed to leap from the water; fragments of a life he knew, and recognized. Regrets, hopes, and dreams swelled within him. And more than ever, he felt like he was going to die. Something almost instinctive, like a dog that wanders off into the woods to die alone when it feels its time has come. But, Ash did not want to die. He had so much to live for, so much he needed to do.

_Hold on . . ._

A hard thud. They were on terrain again, and though the curiosity he had felt had not yet faded, his eyes were beginning to feel like lead, and the pain, though sharp, was dulling.

The being he was riding growled, and he felt himself being flung to the right, and he tumbled off the creatures back, screaming with pain, as he hit the hard ground. His eyes were bright with panic, and he could feel a quick shot of adrenaline move quickly throughout his body; for one last burst of energy, exhausted and bleeding though he was. It was enough for his vision to sharpen enough to notice and large, odd, cleft in a large wall of rock in front of him.

The beast snarled at whatever had dashed in front of it, and he was roughly pulled off his feat, fanged teeth grasping the collar of his black shirt. And they both moved liquidly in the blackness. But . . . it was not so dark. Glimmers of light were sparkling from the walls . . . but they were gradually darkening. The adrenaline had faded as quickly as it come, leaving Ash with a more prompt feeling of exhaustion then before.

The creature stepped into water, the splashes echoing. It laid him half in and half out of the water. His face rested on the cold, damp slaps of rock, and he felt tiny droplets of water begin to rhythmically pelt his head, while his feet were now submerged in water. He allowed with little protest, for his leaden eyes to have their wish, and close. Though he tried his best to remain as alert as he could, through his deteriorating mind. Oddly enough, he felt an odd sensation in his legs, and a veil seemed to be lifting from his dying mind. Ash imagined he could hear voices, understandable ones now, though perhaps this was only his imagination. Misty always said he had too much of an overactive one.

Her name sent guilt panging through his mind, as sharp and damaging as the pain in his chest. He was not going to be there . . . he would never see her again. And it was her birthday, too. She would hate him for it.

The deep voice within the cavern startled him out of his reverie.

'_You are foolish!' _ hissed the voice. '_Do you have any idea what you're doing? What you are putting into play?'_

The clearer voice was defensive . . . it reminded him vaguely of his mother. '_He's dying!'_

Then figure sniffed haughtily. _'Let him die. He will wish it later.'_

'_But he is the Chosen One! It's time, isn't it? Or this wouldn't have happened. I was here for a reason!'_

'_You are only trying to justify your own selfish reasons!_' the voice retaliated, as it all but roared. The other tried to defend itself, but was immediately cut off from speaking. _'You think you want to begin what is supposedly set in motion, because it will bring you closer to your goal. You think he will save you - help you achieve your greatest desire. But, in truth, you have no right to play fate.'_

A snarl. _'It is you who's here for selfish reasons . . . if I did not help, he'll die!'_

The creature made a guttural 'tsking' sound. 'Trying to justify yourself again, Lady Fate? Well, justify yourself.'

'_I – you.. He'll die!'_

The voiced practically oozed smugness and anger, like a teacher who knows he is right, though the student still insists otherwise. _'That would be a same wouldn't it? . . . What even makes you think he is ready?'_

The dark voice rose to a crescendo as it continued on its tirade. _'What makes you think he'll accept what is needed for you to heal him here? To bestow your –_' it took a more menacing, mocking tone _'– gift? There is always, always! A price! Even for one so great as you.'_

The others' voice softened. '_I will gladly pay it. I will do anything to save him.'_

'_Save who, Lady Fate? Save who?'_

The more feminine creature ignored the other's statement. _'I have seen him . . . he is kind, he is understanding. He will accept now . . .'_

'_Ah! But will he except later? When he has been more tormented than he is now? When he is forced to make a choice, when he should have no power to decide over it at all? It will eat him away, and he will hate you for it.'_

'_It would have come sooner or later.'_

'_But to him? Why not another somewhere down the line?' _

'_I will ease his pain. The choice will be easier after I have done so. All of the last Chosens have done it too, to my understanding. It will be easier.'_

'_Will it? Will he still be able to decide the fate of?_ –'

Ash's mind lurched, and the conversation went fuzzy, and he could no longer concentrate on what was being said; instead, he was being lured into the approaching darkness that was promising to take all his pain and worry away. Even the frustrated, angry roar that echoed through the cave barely fazed him. Instead, it sounded muffled, staticy, like a telephone.

Silence.

Ash wallowed in the quiet that now surrounded him. He did not even move, and barely noticed the creature pulling him further into the water, nor had he noticed that she had ever stepped in. But he could feel the odd, cold, yet warm sensation flooding up his body. The essence filled him with tranquility, and all the pain began to fade. His eyes fluttered open, but all he could see was a wide expanse of white.

Was he dead?

Then, a figure appeared. Large, and daunting. He blinked rapidly. "It's you."

It smiled sadly, and nodded. Then, it said as simply as one would in talking about the weather. "You are dying . . . fast."

"I kinda thought so."

"I can save you from dying."

"You can? Thanks, really I –"

"There's a price."

He paused. "A catch?"

"You . . . are the Chosen One for the generation."

"I'm not the Chosen One."

His savior ignored him, and continued as if he had said nothing. "And . . . it will soon be the time, if you choose to live, for you to take your destiny, as it has happened many times before. You cannot run from it, you cannot escape it. It will come. You can turn you back upon it, but that would only kill the world, and all those you love."

The idea of this thing coming to harm any of his friends was unbearable. "Will it come real soon?"

The creature shrugged. "Possibly . . . but it could be years before it ever comes. It has usually always come late . . . from what I understand."

"It?"

It smiled sadly. "Yes. 'It'. But the real name is not important.

"Well, if I'm the one to do it, then I'll do whatever I can, if it'll help, and help my friends."

"There is a heavy price for defeating it."

"I'll do it, whatever the price. If I can give it . . . that is. Though really, I don't have anything . . ."

"You have everything; but," the sapphire figure turned, "you will not consent to the Price now. Nor will you if you are who you are now."

"What?"

"You will not accept the Price as you are now," it repeated. "Therefore, you must accept the price I give you at t his moment. It will free you from the pain, and give you the will to pay that will come. It will be the price to give you the first Gift, and heal you, and to save your friends. Or," it said, anticipating his next question, "you will die."

"What's the price?"

"Understand that it's only to help you from later pain and anguish –"

"Just tell me what is is!"

"Your memories."

* * *

**Reviewer Replies:**

_R12: Been awhile, hasn't it? Yeah. Anyway, thanks for the review.. and yes, a bike. What else. _

_Hazy Aurora: I know it's not all accurate.. buuut.. it was this time._

_Smiley, Shaman Queen Lee, Clara200, Daydreamer 64, Bottled: Thanks for your reviews._

_  
Act: .. As I said, ate the seperator for the POV change… which probably won't be happening again. I realize he probably sounded a bit more intelligent, though I imagined him to be quite intelligent as far as Pokemon go.. in fact, I'm assuming most of them are quite intelligent… but yeah, thanks a ton._

_Misaki Cherry: Not soon, I know.. and I'm sorry.. I hate myself for being so slow, eh?_

_Misty's Double: Thanks. Hope to see you again._

_Lorea02: Well, you'll have to find out._

_xSpinx: Thanks! Yes, the POV switch was confusing.. especially with no separators… I'll have to put up a big warning sign next time._

_Dannichu: Hopefully iti'll only get better.. I hope it has.. I took so long with this chapter 'cause I'm a lazy idiot.. with other things besides._

_Thi: glad to see someone still reads the story even if it's not been updated.. Hope to see ya again!_


	6. Chapter 6: Ebb and Flow

**A/N:** **READ! **Wow. I'm sure you're all sick of my hesitant updates by now, for those who are actually reading. I've been really surprised at the continued interest for this fic, which has inspired me to actually continue. (Seriously, when you get reviews four months after a chapter's been posted… ) It's really quite heartening that people actually like this story. O.o even when I look back and compare my writing back then to now. … Which is why new chapter – well, short one -- is here. Thanks for your support, whoever's actually reading this - and a even bigger thanks for those who are reviewing, and letting me know what you think. You're prodding me to continue this.

It's short for basically one reason: I'm seriously considering revamping this story for the next month. I have the rest of this chapter written, and I'm in the middle of rewriting a better Prologue. I'd like to go over it and edit all the bad stuff out, and bring the story up to what should be its caliber. I'd fix all those stupid grammar mistakes, fix up a few scenes (Chapter 4, anyone?) with a few extra scenes here and there. I already planned it out, and have a better idea of a plot, and if it comes, the new Prologue'll be put up around next weekish. Probably the middle. (I'd delete all the chapters before this, and post a new Prologue.) However, feel free to voice your opinion on this idea, as this story is mainly for the people who actually are following this and enjoy it. (I enjoy it to.) This would take about a month – month in a half, with me updating with an updated chapter around every week – at the max, two. I'll also be trying to update my livejournal, and posting snippits to the new Prologue sometime this week.. as soon as I revamp my profile.

Anyway, that's it. Hopefully I haven't lost my touch here. Heh.

**Disclaimer: **If I actually did own Pokémon (which I don't) Misty would've been back a loooong time ago.

**Chapter 6: Ebb and Flow**

_"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress." - Bruce Barton_

**-**

Gary had barely enough time to dodge as a bolt of electric energy surged past him, missing by only a hairs width. Suffice to say, he was startled – though surprised was another story. Gary's hand closed over a pokéball at his side, tugging it loose from his belt. He was more than prepared to use it if worse came to worse.

_Heh._ From the looks of it, it was already that.

Richie was just ahead, with Sparky staring in shock at a very angry, confused Pikachu, who was swaying on his feet, sending streaks of ill-aimed electrical attacks whenever Sparky or Richie got too close. Gary could tell Sparky was trying to reason with him – if it even was Ash's Pikachu in the first place. Gary had to assume it was. Though an Ash-less Pikachu gave him more than enough reason to doubt.

"_Pchua!"_

Pikachu' growl was venomous to say the least. His body was completely surrounded by static electricity, shaking his head in an enraged manner. Sparky was waving about his paws, no doubt spouting some silly friendship rant.

With the state Pikachu was in, Gary doubted it would really work.

"I thought Kyra snapped him out of it…" Richie muttered. Kyra squeaked, and curled herself into a tiny ball, like a cat.

"I doubt it did much of anything – whatever she did do," Gary replied as he slid to a stop by Richie's side. "Psychic-type attacks usually affect the mind directly… that usually just adds to the confusion."

That seemed to be news to Richie, and Gary had to stifle a long, drawn out sigh. How Pokémon trainers could be so ignorant to some things always perplexed him. And Richie was a trainer of a Psychic-type. Shouldn't he _know_ these things?

Pikachu, meanwhile, was continuing to sway --- the Iapapa berry's affect still had hold on the rodent, it seemed. That didn't surprise Gary in the least. The Iapapa berry's confusion effect was very potent, and took some time to wear off – especially in great quantities.

_At least,_ Gary though wryly, _he isn't throwing Thundershocks around anymore._

"_Chuuu!" _

_Or maybe not…_

Gary yelled, dodging to the side as the Pikachu's attack surged past him, the foliage quivering from the electric shock.

Gary grimaced. The dang rat was taking off again, with Sparky and Richie following right on Pikachu's heels. At least the two of them seemed to have a bit of sense; they were giving Pikachu a wider berth than before.

"What are you doing?" Gary hissed, catching up to Richie. "It's obvious that thing --- Ash's Pokémon or not --- is out of its mind. It can't even Thundershock you properly."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?"

"Simple," Gary said, voice firm. "Knock the dratted thing out."

Richie's green eyes went wide with surprise, and even Sparky, now a few feet ahead of either humans, was in close enough range to look over his shoulder and give him a very odd, confused glance. "We can't do that…"

A thundershock rippled through the air again. This time, Sparky retaliated, his own electric attack colliding with Pikachu's own, negating it. Though Gary could still feel the static in the air; it was making his hair stand on end a bit.

Gary shook his head, his countenance darkening. "You won't, but _I_ will."

Gary let the sphere clutched tightly in his fist fly. It exploded open in a flash of white, evanescent light. A feline/vulpine creature emerged from the white haze, its blood-red opening, its black-furred body tense. I took only seconds for the Umbreon to catch on with the situation, falling into pace besides Gary, as the human had not bothered to stop. Slowing down only to catch Umbreon's returning pokéball in his palm, quickly clipping it to his belt.

Gary jerked his head towards the fleeing Pikachu, pointing at him for greater emphasis. "Pursuit, then Quick Attack! Don't let that Pikachu get away!"

The Moonlight Pokémon nodded once, before taking off through the brush. Overtaking Richie's Pikachu, dark, tiny wisps of dark energy shot forward, navigating through the brush.

The Pursuit hit, the tiny wisps scurrying about the Pikachu's paws, stopping him abruptly in his headlong dash. The Pikachu keep his balance, as his feet struggled to keep up the rapid pace. It was then, Umbreon struck, impacting the Pikachu's side mercilessly, sending the already disoriented Pikachu sliding across the ground. The contact was brief, and Umbreon jumped backwards, paws splayed as the Pikachu rose to his paws.

Gary's body halted just at the battles edge, with the others following suit. "Light Screen!"

The thin, almost translucent shield was erected just in time to take Pikachu's countering electric blow. The shield held, absorbing most of the electricity.

Richie finally arrived at Gary's side, with Kyra's head buried into his shoulder. His gaze still was hesitant, with his own Pikachu's gaze almost mirroring his own. "Are you sure we…?"

"If you have another way, I'd love to hear it," Gary said dryly, cutting Richie off. "Umbreon, Mean – Dang it! He's running again. Umbreon, after him!"

Pikachu sure was making things hard on himself, and Gary was not enjoying the rodent's evasiveness a bit. He was moving too much to get a proper Mean Look on him.

To make matters worse, Pikachu was beginning to move in an erratic, zigzagging pattern through the thick vegetation that was hard to track. The electric-type was moving faster than before, too surrounded by the hazy, white nimbus of Agility. Even the Pursuit Umbreon was conjuring was doing little good – the tiny wisps of dark energy were having trouble were having trouble keeping up with the Pikachu and his utterly spontaneous, confused course. It was a wonder the Pokémon hadn't run straight into a tree yet. Even when the faint, purplish strands did make contact, they were only tripping him up now, sending him scrambling for footing for only a few moments, only to dash off again, faster than before.

It was time to even up the competition a little.

"Faint Attack!"

"_Breon!"_

It took only a moment for the black Pokémon to vanish in a cloud of ebony smoke. The following cry told Gary the attack had made contact – that, and the sudden sparks that shot up into the air. Gary's area of vision – good clear vision -- was becoming considerably smaller, and Gary didn't like it. Mean Look definitely wouldn't work now, and that had been his plan up until this moment.

In the distance, Gary could hear the roar of the waterfall, and could already feel the mist collecting against his skin. That was what was causing the deterioration of visibility. It would make things considerably more difficult.

Something was beginning to itch at the back of his mind as both he and Richie followed the Umbreon's trail, the space between human and Pokémon becoming wider. Something didn't seem right – something didn't feel right.

The mist was becoming far too thick to Gary's liking. Waterfall or not, Gary was beginning to have a distinct feeling that the mist was conjured. Why or by whom Gary didn't know, nor did he have the Pokémon with him to dispel it.

Attacks were becoming more frequent now, parting through the thickening mist in thin bands of yellow light. Both he, Sparky, and Richie were finally coming within eyesight of the two fighting animals. Pikachu was still running, and judging from the river both the electric-type and his Umbreon were running beside, they were heading straight for the falls…

Too close. The roar was absolutely thunderous.

"The waterfall…" Richie panted, looking over at him with frantic, green eyes. "You don't think…"

Gary snorted, fighting the urge to run a hand through his hair. "Naa, Ashy-boy isn't that stupid." His tone leaked with false surety, and for once in a long time, Gary was beginning to doubt himself.

"Maybe…"

There was a sudden flash of white light, coming from a Pokéball that hit the ground in front of him. The bright flare just about blinded Gary, making him slow up considerably, finally stopping as he tried to blink away the white light from the front of his eyelids. Richie had called out another Pokémon.

Gary blinked a few times. A Tailow by the looks of it.

"I need you to where Ash's camp is," Richie said quickly to the white-chested bird fluttering in the air about the boy's shoulder. "It should be by a big lake – Ash probably has all his Pokémon out, and Misty and Brock probably do, too. So you should be able to see them. See if Ash and Pikachu are there, and come back, whether they're there or not."

Gary watched as the Tailow ascended upward, her thin, royal blue wings flapping in quick bursts to gain altitude. It only took a few seconds for her to dart out of eyesight, rising above the mist and trees.

_Heh_. It wasn't such a bad idea.

"_Pikapi!"_

Both he and Richie's heads snapped back to the battle, only to see Pikachu swaying back and forth at the waterfall's edge. Both Umbreon and Richie's Pikachu had stopped just in front of the confused creature. His Umbreon's back was arched in a defensive position, while Sparky was yelling something – though Pikachu was obviously not paying attention. His calls were becoming louder, more insistent, and the thunder mouse's body continued to sway. He was looking down the waterfall, completely oblivious to the Pokémon and humans behind him.

"_Pikapi! PIKAPI!"_

No answer. Pikachu sunk to all fours, his muscles tensing.

"He can't be thinking about jumping…" Gary heard Richie say over the waterfalls din.

Ah, but he was.

With a loud cry, Pikachu jumped over the edge.


End file.
